ASHEVILLE, N.C. – In a crazy, wild and lengthy Friday at the ballpark, Longwood used an incredible rally, coming back from a 9-1 deficit to win 13-11 in game two and earn a split of the twin bill with UNC Asheville.

Tommy Houmard and Eric Connolly combined to go 7-for-10 with seven RBI in game one of Friday's doubleheader as UNC Asheville thwarted a 13-strikeout effort from Aaron Myers to take an 11-6 victory at Greenwood Field.

A six-run fifth in game two propelled Longwood back into the contest after Asheville tallied nine times in the opening four frames. The big inning was keyed by six hits including four extra-base hits as C.J. Roth and Colton Konvicka hit back-to-back triples and Connar Bastaich and Michael Osinski mimicked the feat with doubles.

"We definitely put ourselves up against a wall with that deficit," said head coach Ryan Mau. "We know what's riding on this weekend for us and I'm just unbelievably proud of the fight we showed tonight to come back from a deficit like that."

Game One – Longwood 6 UNC Asheville 11

After Aaron Myers (3-8) cruised through the first three innings, UNC Asheville struck for three runs in the bottom of the fourth aided by a pivotal fielder's choice where the Lancers failed to record an out. A single from catcher Lucas Owens followed by a double from seven-hole Eric Connolly drove home the three runs for the Bulldogs.

Longwood answered right back in the top of the fifth as the Lancers pushed a pair across to pull within a single run at 3-2. Connar Bastaich delivered an RBI-single to score Konvicka before coming around on Brandon Delk's double which just caught the left field line, bounding into the corner.

After both teams swapped single runs to bring the score to 4-3 heading into the bottom of the sixth, Connolly produced another big knock for Asheville, this time a two-run home run to dead center, putting the Bulldogs back up by three runs.

The Lancers weren't done yet as the seesaw affair continued into the seventh. Longwood got a pair of runners to second and third without the benefit of a hit on a hit batsmen, fielder's choice and walk. After a strikeout, Michael Osinski stepped in and ripped a huge, two-run single to left which cut the deficit back to one.

That would be as close as the Lancers would come, as Asheville pulled a run back in the bottom of the seventh before blowing the game wide open in the eighth with four runs on four hits, including a three-run triple from Tommy Houmard who finished 4-for-5 with three RBI.

Myers night would be done after 7 innings of work as the senior nearly got to the single-game strikeout record once again, falling one short with 13 on the day. Unfortunately, Asheville capitalized on every opportunity off of the right-hander, scoring seven runs, six earned, on just seven hits.

Game Two

Longwood returned to its early-scoring ways with a single run in the top of the first to jump out to a 1-0 advantage. The first inning tally marks the 19th time the blue and white have scored in the first this season.

But, Asheville quickly seized control of the game with nine runs in the first four innings, including a three-run first and four-run third. Eight free passes combined with seven Bulldog hits to plate the nine runs and place Longwood in a seemingly insurmountable hole. The Lancers would use four pitchers, including Sunday starter Travis Burnette in an attempt to get out of the early rut, yet an answer was hard to come by.

With a 9-1 deficit for the Lancers, all the momentum sat firmly in the third base dugout with the Bulldogs. Yet, Longwood found a way to get back into the game and it started with a massive six-run fifth and solid pitching from Mitchell Kuebbing.

The sophomore Kuebbing entered in the third and ended the Asheville four-run frame and proceeded to turn the tide of the game with 3 1/3 innings of four hit ball while striking out eight Bulldogs. That gave Longwood enough of a bump to create the big inning.

"I thought Mitch did a great job," said Mau. "He threw the ball extremely well for us."

Mac McCafferty sparked the frame with a first-pitch single back up the middle. The catcher would score a batter later on C.J. Roth's triple to right center as the center fielder apparently lost the ball in the lights, allowing it to skirt all the way to the wall. The lineup turned over and Colton Konvicka followed with a triple of his own to set the inning into a full-on onslaught.

After a walk and fielder's choice cut it to 9-4, Brandon Delk singled to set up Connar Bastaich's two-run single, creating a 9-6 ballgame. Again, the blue and white went back-to-back with extra-base hits as Michael Osinski stepped in and plated Bastaich, hustling out a double to right center.

Longwood would complete the rally two innings later as the Lancers put runners in scoring position on a Bastaich walk and an Osinski single to left which was misplayed by the left fielder allowing both runners to advance to second and third. The Lancers turned to a pinch hitter and freshman Hayes Nelson grabbed a bat for Mac McCafferty and roped the game-tying double off the left field wall.

After Asheville retook the lead in the bottom half on a wild pitch, Longwood rallied again, this time for good, scoring three runs in the eighth off of three Asheville pitchers. Roth opened the frame with a walk and came around to score on a RBI, infield single from Sammy Miller. That tied the game until Washington lined a single to right field, giving Longwood a lead it would not relinquish.

The Lancers tacked on one more in the inning with Osinski's RBI-grounder before scoring in the top of the ninth without the benefit of a hit as C.J. Roth walked, stole second and came around to score on a pair of wild pitches.

Devin Gould (1-0) picked up the win, throwing the final three innings while not allowing a single earned run. The sophomore earned his first win of the season while striking out five and allowing just a single hit.

With the split of Friday's doubleheader, the series finale becomes all the more critical as both Longwood and Asheville continue to fight for that eighth spot in the Big South tournament. The Lancers and Bulldogs are scheduled to conclude the series tomorrow at 3 p.m., weather permitting.

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