CHARLESTON, S.C. – Despite another multi-hit game by Longwood captain Sammy Miller, Charleston Southern pitchers combined to shut out Longwood, 6-0, in the rubber match of the weekend series Saturday at CSU Ballpark.
 
Longwood (7-18, 2-7 Big South) got another strong game from Miller, who went 3-for-4 Saturday after Friday's 4-for-5 performance. Miller and sophomore catcher Joey Mendez, who finished 2-for-4, each had solid days at the plate, but Longwood couldn't piece together timely hits against Charleston Southern (10-19, 3-6 Big South), the team that leads the Big South in staff strikeouts.
 
Longwood starter Cody Boydstun (1-4) suffered the loss after missing his normal turn in the rotation due to an injury suffered at Winthrop the week prior. Boydstun threw 49 pitches and lasted just 3.0 innings with three runs against on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts and no walks issued.
 
"Boydstun showed a ton of heart today by trying to pitch through injury," Longwood head coach Ryan Mau said. "Unfortunately he aggravated it fielding a bunt early in the game and couldn't continue for us."
 
After Boydstun Longwood used three pitchers – sophomore John Gregory followed by freshmen Todd Moxey and Tyler Knapp – who combined to hold Charleston Southern to three runs in the next 5.0 innings.
 
"Our young bullpen did a good job keeping us within striking distance," Mau said. "I thought Gregory, Moxey, and Knapp all threw the ball well."
 
Gregory lasted 2.2 innings out of the bullpen and then handed the ball to Moxey, who kept Charleston Southern to one unearned run in 2.0 innings pitched with a pair of strikeouts in his outing. Knapp retired the final batter of the eighth inning on four pitches.
 
Evan Nations (1-0) picked up the win for Charleston Southern, scattering six hits across 7.0 shutout innings with five strikeouts and no walks issued. After Nations the Charleston Southern bullpen held Longwood to one hit and three walks in the final two trips to the plate for the Lancers.
 
"Offensively we just couldn't get anything going and we let the starter settle in," Mau said. "We missed our only big scoring opportunity in the eighth with the bases loaded. We couldn't land the big hit there and ended up coming away empty-handed."
 
The game was scoreless until the third inning when Charleston Southern erupted for three runs. After Andrew Litchfield tested Boydstun with a bunt to begin the home half of the third, Kyle Vesnesky doubled down the left field line to give Charleston Southern a one-out base runner. Mike Sconzo then singled to place runners on the corners with one away. Jason Miller followed with a single through the right side to plate Vesnesky and put Charleston Southern ahead 1-0. After Boydstun struck out the next hitter, Ryan Rizk singled up the middle to bring in a run and Christian Maggio singled to make it a 3-0 advantage.
 
Charleston Southern added to the lead with two more runs in the fifth inning, while Longwood wouldn't have multiple batters reach safely until the eighth inning.
 
In the top of the eighth, with Nations out of the game for Charleston Southern, Antwaun Tucker worked a walk to start the inning. Sammy Miller followed with a single to center, his third hit of the game. Two batters later Nate Blakeney walked to load the bases with one out. The Lancers left the bases loaded after a strikeout and a pop out ended the frame.
 
With Miller's third hit of the game he finished the series with seven hits, going 7-for-9 in the final two games at Charleston Southern. The three-hit outburst, his team-leading seventh multi-hit game, lifted Miller's average to a season-high and team-leading .284. Through nine games in Big South play Miller is hitting .395 (15-for-38).
 
"Sammy had a great weekend at the plate," Mau said. "Now we need more consistent at-bats from the rest of our lineup."
 
Longwood returns to Farmville Tuesday to begin a five-game homestand. 11 of the next 12 games for Longwood will be at home and every game in April will be in the state of Virginia with road games at VMI, James Madison, VCU, and Liberty. The Lancers host VMI Tuesday for a 6 p.m. first pitch at Buddy Bolding Stadium.
 
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