HONOLULU – A day after hitting a collective three home runs, Longwood softball rode the long ball once again Saturday in its 4-2 win over Hawai'i as
Jordan Clark and
Jessica Smith each went deep to back a complete-game effort from
Sydney Gay.
For the second straight game, Clark led off the top of the first inning with a home run, as she hit her team-leading fourth blast of the season to aid the Lancers (11-8) to their 11th win of the campaign.
That home run, along with a two-run shot from
Jessica Smith and an RBI single from
Kasey Carr backed another strong outing in the circle from Gay. A product of Carrollton, Va., Gay (7-5) collected her seventh victory of the season, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out six. She had four three-up, three-down innings in the game.
The outing for Gay marks her 10th start of the season in which she has given up two earned runs or less, as the six strikeouts give Gay 377 in her three seasons in a Longwood uniform.
Dana Thomsen (6-6) took the loss for the Rainbow Wahine (11-10), allowing four runs on five hits and a walk in four innings of work. She added five strikeouts. Thomsen was relieved by Emily Klee in the fifth inning, as she allowed a pair of hits in three scoreless innings while striking out three batters.
Krista Kelly went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and a run scored, as she was joined by Smith with a multi-hit game. Longwood had five different players combine for seven hits, moving to 11-3 when outhitting the opposition.
The multi-hit game for Smith was her fifth of the season, raising her batting average to a team-best .362. Smith has collected hits in 13 games this season. Meanwhile, Clark matches her home run total from a season ago with her fourth blast of the season
Longwood was able to overcome a second inning solo home run from Callee Heen and a seventh inning blast off the bat of Nicole Lopez, as the pair had two of the Rainbow Wahine's three hits.
Longwood wraps up its 10-day stay in the Aloha State with their final game of the Hawai'i Spring Fling Saturday, March 11 at 7 p.m. ET., against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
#GoWood
