FARMVILLE, Va. – There are solid relief outings and then there is what sophomore Luke Simpson prododuced as the Lancer reliever was simply spectacular, throwing a career-high 6 1/3 innings of work out of the bullpen in the second game of Saturday's twin-billing to drive the Lancers to a split with Liberty at Buddy Bolding Stadium.

For a second-consecutive Big South outing, the right-hander was dominant in extended relief as Simpson entered the game in the top of the second inning with Liberty threatening to blow the game wide open.  All Simpson did was limit Liberty to a single run over his 6 1/3 innings scattering seven hits and striking out a career-high seven batters. The electric performance also came to a tune of a career-high 116 pitches, a line that resembles a starter's statistics rather than a reliever's line.

"I came out that first inning and got a quick out," said Simpson who ended a three-run frame with a bases-loaded strikeout of the first batter he faced. "That really helped me settle down. I started spotting my fastball pretty well, I had a decent breaking ball tonight and I thought that was what led to my success."

After Liberty (25-15, 11-4) cruised to an 11-3 victory in the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader, the Lancers were on the ropes of a similar fate in the series finale.  But, Simpson provided the calming influence as the bats came alive to rally past the Flames for a crucial victory.

Longwood (17-21, 5-10) found its stroke at the plate as the blue and white produced a barrage of 13 hits in the second game of the day and turned the base knocks into seven runs. C.J. Roth and Connar Bastaich sparked the attack as both juniors went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI in the game, while Roth added a pair of runs scored.

"Bastaich has been that guy all year long," said head coach Ryan Mau. "It was great to see C.J. finally get himself on track. He's been working extremely hard to find his swing and today he found it."

While the Lancers dropped the series to Liberty, the ability to bounce back after a tough game one on the afternoon and build some momentum by earning a big victory in the finale was a huge lift.

"That was big for us," said Mau. "We needed that second game. We needed to bounce back after game one and we did a great job of putting that behind us and getting the big win."

Game One: Liberty 11 Longwood 3

There was little to write home about in game one of the afternoon as Liberty uncorked 15 hits, seven of which came in the explosive seven-run fourth.  After Liberty took an early lead with a run in the first, Longwood bounced back with single tallies in both the second and third innings.

Brandon Delk doubled to lead off the second and tied the game when rookie shortstop Michael Osinski singled two batters later. The Lancers would take the lead an inning later as Colton Konvicka beat out a dribbler to the left side. After advancing to second on a hit-by-pitch, the center fielder raced home on Kyri Washington's single, making it 2-1 Longwood after three.

But, that was as far as the Lancers could take it as seven hits and three Longwood errors led to seven runs in the top half of the fourth. Becker Sankey ignited the big inning with his second home run of the series and 11th of the season as the Liberty catcher lifted a two-run shot to opposite field to retake the lead. The Flames would tack on five more, three of which were unearned as Longwood and starter Brandon Vick (2-5) could not find a way out of the inning.

Longwood scored its third and final run of game one in the sixth inning as Delk singled and moved to third on Alex Lewis' double which bounded right over the third base bag. That allowed Delk to cross the plate on an Osinski grounder, giving the freshman two of Longwood's three RBI in game one.

Meanwhile, Liberty made sure to erase any doubt of the outcome with three runs between the seventh and eighth innings. A pair of hits and wild pitches scored two in the seventh before the Flames finished off the scoring in the eighth with a hit, two walks and an RBI-groundout.

Game Two: Longwood 7 Liberty 4

The series finale looked precariously close to taking a similar path as its predecessor as Liberty raced out to a 3-0 lead and looked to spoil the fun on Alumni Day, which included the retirement of former coach Buddy Bolding's No. 16 jersey.

The Flames strung together four hits and benefitted from a missed tag on a fielder's choice to score the trio of runs and load the bases with two outs. With Longwood chasing a much-needed win, the Lancers turned to the bullpen and called upon Luke Simpson.

Simpson (3-1) produced a career performance for the second consecutive conference outing as the sophomore fanned Liberty's three-hole hitter to strand the bases loaded in the second and give Longwood a fighting chance. As it turns out, it was only the beginning for Simpson.

The Lancers jumped back into the game with a three-run frame of their own in the third.  Mac McCafferty and Roth led off the inning with back-to-back singles as the eight and nine-hole hitters played the table-setter role. Konvicka followed with a perfectly placed bunt, which the speedster beat out without a throw to lead the bases.

Bastaich produced the runs as the first baseman shot a two-run single through the right side to pull the Lancers within a single run. Left fielder Kyri Washington, who is still working back from an ankle injury, skied a sacrifice fly to right field, tying the game at 3-3.

After the Lancers and Flames traded runs in the bottom of the fourth and top of the fifth, Longwood snagged the lead for good with a decisive three-run sixth.

Once more the rally started at the bottom of the order as Brandon Harvell singled deep to the hole at short. The third baseman advanced on a sacrifice bunt before Roth launched a double to right center field to plate the go-ahead and eventual game-winning run. The blue and white did not stop there, as Konvicka followed with a double of his own off the Liberty reliever.  Two batters later, Konvicka cruised home on a single to left by Washington.

From there, it was back to the Luke Simpson show, as the reliever continued his stellar performance with a scoreless seventh and eighth inning. That brought Simpson's line to 6 1/3 innings with just a single run on seven hits, a career-high seven punchouts and 116 pitches. 

After a career-long outing, and one to remember, a few teammates were left wondering if the workhorse Simpson ever wears down.

"No, I wasn't," said Simpson. "Adrenaline just kind of took over. I realized my body was a little tired after I came out of the game, but when I was in there, the adrenaline was going and I felt good."

Of course, the incredible pitching performance caught the attention of coach Mau, and everyone in attendance for that matter.

"It was Luke Simpson and the defense," said Mau in regards to what keyed the game two victory. "Luke came in pretty early on for us and got us out of a couple of jams. We made plays behind him and when you get strong pitching and good defense, you're going to have a chance to comeback and then extend a lead. I thought we did a great job of that tonight."

Simpson came on for the ninth, but a leadoff walk ended his career night as Longwood went to Devin Gould in the save situation. The fellow sophomore, Gould showed an electric fastball and improved command in earning his third save of the season. Gould fanned a pair of Flames, including blowing a 3-2 fastball past Clay Keranen for the final out.

"Devin's a guy that made an adjustment a couple weeks ago," said Mau.  "The last couple of outings he's been getting stronger and stronger. That's not an easy situation as we know and today Devin stood up to the task."

With the win, Longwood claimed its first victory over Liberty since 2013. The Lancers will now head on the road for 11-consecutive games beginning with a Tuesday trip to Virginia before head to UNC Asheville over the coming weekend.

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