FARMVILLE, VA. – Drew Kitson's big day at the plate and in the field helped Longwood take sole possession of fourth place in the Big South standings with Monday's 6-3 win against UNC Asheville at Buddy Bolding Stadium.
 
The win capped a three-game sweep for the Lancers (28-20, 12-9 Big South), who improved to 21-7 at home and inched closer to their first 30-win season of the Division I era. Longwood once again came back from an early deficit, using a four-run third inning that included back-to-back two-out, two-run doubles from sophomores Hayes Nelson and Sammy Miller to take the lead for good. The go-ahead third inning boosted the Lancers to their 21st comeback win of the year.
 
"It's a great ending to our home season," Longwood second-year head coach Ryan Mau said after the win Monday. "I'm proud of the effort all year long to defend our home. We have a sense of pride in doing so and we are very comfortable in this environment. We have supreme confidence in our park and we do what we can to defend it. Now we have to take that same confidence with us on the road."


Longwood picked up 11 hits in the game, the second consecutive game for the Lancers with 10 or more hits. The 11 hits were four shy of the season high of 15, set in Sunday's win. The Lancers improved to 16-2 in games with at least 10 hits.
 
"All the way around it was a heck of a day," Mau said. "I'm really proud of the seniors who get to leave on a winning note."
 
UNC Asheville (15-30, 5-13 Big South) nearly made it a two-run game in the top of the ninth, but Kitson robbed leadoff batter Pete Guy of a solo home run over the left field wall to start the ninth.


 
"Drew Kitson also had a heck of a day offensively, but that's got to be a SportsCenter Top 10 catch, robbing that ball in the ninth," Mau said.
 
Kitson, who took away a homer from Guy in the ninth inning, finished his day at the plate 3-for-5 with a double and one run scored. Kitson picked up his first three-hit performance of the season and was matched in hits by Michael Osinski, who was also 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored. The three-hit game was the second consecutive three-hit game for Osinski, who has three three-hit performances in the last five games.
 
"The middle of the lineup did a really good job," Mau said. "[Osinski] has gotten himself really comfortable. I credit [assistant coach Chad Oxendine] and him for going to work on his swing a couple of weeks ago, trying to get his timing right. He's locked in right now and that's fun to watch. It takes a little bit of pressure off Alex Lewis so that we have a couple of threats in the middle of the lineup, which is the way it should be. I like what that power part of the lineup is doing right now."
 
While Osinski and Kitson each had multi-hit games, Miller and Nelson each finished with the lone multi-RBI games on the day as the Lancers had a man reach in all eight trips to the plate.
 
"I thought we strung together a bunch of quality at-bats," Mau said. "We took some extra bases again and came up with some really timely hitting. I thought that big inning was what broke the game open. Hayes Nelson has gone to work on his swing and I'm really excited to see him be the guy to step up and hit that two-run double to stretch the lead."
 
Nelson, hitting out of the nine spot, finished the game officially 1-for-1 with the two-run double and two walks. Nelson scored the second of two runs on the double by Miller one batter later.
 
"Sammy Miller had been scuffling a little as of late and it's great to see him follow up with that other two-RBI double," Mau said.

Following Nelson and Miller's game-changing doubles, the bullpen duo of Ryan Jones and Michael Catlin each tossed 2.0 scoreless innings each to cap the win. Catlin picked up the save, his second of the season, by retiring all six batters he faced, backing starter Steven Farkas (3-2) who earned the win by scattering three runs and six strikeouts across 5.0 innings. Jordan Fulbright (4-4) took the loss for Asheville after surrendering five runs, four earned, in 3.0 innings of work.
 
"I didn't think we got the starts we needed all weekend, however all three guys battled and kept us around it," Mau said. "I can't say enough about the job the bullpen did. They were absolutely tremendous all weekend long."
 
The Lancer bullpen tossed 13.0 innings in the three games and only one run scored against the bullpen. Longwood's relief pitchers stranded eight of 10 inherited runners in the series.
 
Jones stepped into the game with a pair of runners on with no outs in the top of sixth inning and limited the damage. The right-hander struck out a batter and picked off a pair of runners at second base for the first and final outs in the half inning.
 
"Those pickoffs are huge because he comes into tight situations and the timing of when we call for them is very strategic," Mau said. "When he needs a little bit of help getting out of a jam he can take care of it himself. Those pickoffs are huge momentum swings and is deflating to the other team. He can get that big pickoff, and obviously multiple pickoffs at a time. For the other team it can be a dagger."
 
As a team, Longwood is second in the Big South with 18 runners picked off, one behind Asheville. Jones leads the league with seven runners picked off.
 
The second of Catlin's two perfect frames was aided by Kitson's home-run-stealing grab. The appearance was Catlin's third perfect outing out of the bullpen and his fourth hitless appearance.
 
"Michael Catlin continues to throw the ball lights out," Mau said.

The series sweep propels Longwood into a midweek matchup against Duke Tuesday at 11:40 a.m. at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. That will mark the fourth consecutive gameday for the Lancers, who then get two days off before heading to Winthrop for their final Big South series in Rock Hill, S.C. Game one against the fifth-place Eagles will be broadcast on ESPN3. First pitch Friday at Winthrop Ballpark is set for 7 p.m.

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