FARMVILLE, Va. – Michael Osinski capped off Longwood's first ninth-inning comeback with a walk-off two-run home run to take game one, 9-7, but Winthrop used big rallies in the middle innings to take the second game, 15-4, in a doubleheader split Friday afternoon at Buddy Bolding Stadium.

"That was a big win for our season. We obviously had our backs against the wall in game one and the way we responded was huge," Longwood head coach Ryan Mau said. "The guys showed a lot of fight today, and it's exactly what we need to make to make move in standings."

Longwood (13-24, 5-9 Big South) got a huge performance from a number of hitters in game one as Osinski and Justin Mitchell each had three-RBI games. In game two, Winthrop shortstop Mitch Spires and Eagles catcher Babe Thomas each had five-RBI games as Winthrop (22-17, 9-5 Big South) scored a season-high 15 runs on a season-high 18 hits to earn the split.
 
Longwood freshman Antwaun Tucker was a man on a mission at the plate going a combined 4-for-8 with three runs scored and four RBI in the doubleheader as he had multiple hits in each game and hit a home run in both ends of the twin bill.

"Tucker stepped up big time for us today," Mau said. "He put a couple of good swings on the baseball. His home run was the spark that started our ninth inning in game one. It's big to see a freshman step up the way he did."

Tucker homered to tie the game in the top of the ninth inning of game one in a 2-for-5 game and ripped a seventh-inning three run shot in a 2-for-3 game two.
 
Thomas was the most outstanding Winthrop performer, also hitting home runs in both ends of the doubleheader and collecting 12 total bases between the two games. Thomas finished a combined 4-for-8 with two home runs, two doubles, and six RBI.
 
With the split, the teams will play a rubber match Saturday. Due to rain expected in the area Saturday and Sunday, the originally scheduled three-day series has been moved up to a doubleheader Friday and single game Saturday. First pitch Saturday for game three is set for 12 p.m. at Buddy Bolding Stadium.

Game One Longwood 9, Winthrop 7
 
Trailing 7-6 in the bottom of the ninth, Tucker launched a game-tying solo home run and Osinski followed with a walk-off two-run bomb to lead the Lancers to a 9-7 win over first-place Winthrop in the series opener
 
Both ninth-inning home runs came off of Winthrop closer Dalton Whitaker (1-3), whose first pitch Tucker deposited over the left field wall to tie the game at 7-7. Pinch-hitter Jon Peterson followed with a one-out single that set the stage for the fireworks from Osinski, who cranked the first pitch he saw over the left field wall for the first walk-off hit of his career.
 
The two-home run inning – Longwood's first multi-homer frame of the season – punctuated a back-and-forth affair that saw the Lancers rally from a 6-1 deficit in the middle innings and again from a 7-6 deficit after Thomas smashed a go-ahead homer in the bottom of the eighth.
 
Thomas' home run nearly deflated a comeback effort that saw Longwood respond to a four-run sixth from Winthrop with a four-run sixth of their own, and a game-tying RBI groundout from Nate Blakeney in the seventh.
 
Longwood's bats would not stay quiet, however, as Tucker negated Thomas' go-ahead blast with his ninth-inning homer, and Osinski capped a 4-for-5, three-RBI performance with the game-winning bomb. Mitchell also broke out for three hits and three RBI, including a two-run single as part of the four-run sixth inning.
 
The win was Longwood's second walk-off victory in as many weekends after Ryan Shull delivered a game-winning single in last weekend's series-opening 2-1 win against Presbyterian.
 
Shull's single last weekend drove in Osinski for the winning run, but it was Osinski's bat that played hero Friday against Winthrop. The walk-off homer and four-hit day from the junior shortstop provided retribution for a first-inning error that contributed to a two-run first inning for the Eagles, who took advantage of four total Longwood errors to plate five of their seven runs in unearned fashion.
 
Those errors made for a short day by Lancer ace and reigning Big South Pitcher of the Week Cody Wager, who left the game with a 6-2 deficit after 5.2 innings. Only one of the six runs Wager allowed were earned, staining an otherwise gutty performance from the senior, who struck out six and allowed just six hits against first-place Winthrop's top-four Big South offense.
 
However, Longwood's bullpen picked up for their starter after his exit, as sophomore Eric Harp fired 1.1 innings of hitless ball in relief of Wager, and bullpen ace Michael Catlin (2-3) kept the Lancers in the game with 2.0 innings of one-run ball.
 
The lone blemish on Catlin's resume came courtesy of Thomas, who broke up a 6-6 game with his solo home run to straightaway center field in the bottom of the eighth. That was the first home run allowed this season by Catlin, whose 1.96 ERA entering the weekend was tops in the Big South. Catlin bounced back after giving up the home run, however, sitting down five of the final six hitters he faced to keep Winthrop's lead at one run heading to Longwood's final turn at the plate.
 
Game Two Winthrop 15, Longwood 4
 
Winthrop scored 13 unanswered runs in the first seven innings to start the game in a one-sided 15-4 game two victory.
 
Thomas and Spires carried Winthrop with five RBI each and six players finished with multi-hit games as all nine starters picked up a base hit in the win.
 
The offense was plenty to back Winthrop sophomore right-hander Nate Pawelczyk (6-1), who spun 6.1 innings of two-run ball and struck out seven batters. Steven Farkas (0-1) took the loss after allowing five runs in 2.0 innings.

"We didn't get a good outing from Farkas today, which was tough to overcome," Mau said.
 
Spires started the madness in the first inning with an RBI single as three straight batters reached with one out. The damage was limited, however, thanks to a nifty 5-3 double play turned by senior third baseman Brandon Harvell.
 
After a pair of quiet trips to the plate for the Lancers, Winthrop broke out with four runs in the third inning.
 
After three singles and an error brought in a run for Winthrop, reigning Big South Player of the Week Anthony Paulsen doubled to bring in a second run in the inning and chase Farkas. Spires kept the line rolling with an RBI single, followed by a sacrifice fly by Hunter Lipscomb to make it a four-run third inning.
 
From there Winthrop scored five more runs in the fifth inning, three in the seventh, and single tallies in the eighth and ninth innings.
 
Longwood got three runs in on Tucker's second home run of the doubleheader, a three-run shot to left in the seventh inning.
 
The Lancers capped off the scoring with one final tally in the ninth inning. After Scott Carter picked up an infield single to start the bottom of the ninth, freshman catcher Nathan Iskowitz doubled to bring in Carter.
 
It was the second RBI hit off the bench for Iskowitz this week. Iskowitz is 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and four RBI in six games played, all off the bench.
 
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