FARMVILLE, Va. – A combined nine home runs, 50 hits and 35 runs highlighted a slugfest of a series-opening doubleheader between Longwood and Presbyterian, who traded blows throughout 18 competitive innings en route to a twinbill split Friday at Buddy Bolding Stadium.
 
Powered by a dominant start from freshman southpaw Andrew Melnyk, a three-hit day from freshman center fielder Cullan Wadsworth, and a walk-off RBI infield single from Jawan McAllister, the Lancers (11-37, 5-19 Big South) took game one 6-5 to jumpstart their highest scoring two-game set of the year.
 
However, the Blue Hose (25-26, 13-10 Big South) used three RBI and four runs from leadoff man Zacchaeus Rasberry to turn the tables in game two, overcoming an 8-2 deficit and a pair of four-RBI games from Wadsworth and senior Eric Crain for a bounceback 13-11 win Friday's finale.
 
The doubleheader featured 19 extra-base hits with Longwood first baseman Jacob Mitchell homering in both games, Wadsworth hitting for a two-game cycle as part of a 5-for-9 day at the plate, and senior Eric Crain turning in a 4-for-4, four-RBI game two.
 
Third baseman De'Andre Pitts also contributed a half dozen highlight-reel , run-saving defensive plays at the hot corner, making a host of diving stops on ground balls and line drives along with a double-play on a hard-hit line drive in game two.
 
"We asked our guys to give us everything they had, and I thought they did that today," said Longwood head coach Ryan Mau. "Obviously we were on the right end of game one, and we had a shot there in game two but just fell a bit short there. Overall I'm really proud of the effort today."
 
Longwood's 11 runs in game two marked a season high, while the 17 hits in that game also matched a season best. Six different Lancers had at least four hits on the day, including Wadsworth who extended his hitting streak to three games with multiple knocks in both outings.
 
Meanwhile, Rasberry sparked the Blue Hose offense, driving in five runs, scoring four times and stealing three bases in the two-game set. He was one of five Presbyterian hitters to homer and did the bulk of his damage in game two where his go-ahead three-run homer in the top of the fifth put Presbyterian ahead for good.
 
Longwood nearly overcame Rasberry's homer in game two with an end-game charge of their own, loading the bases and scoring twice in the bottom of the ninth. Two-hitter Antwaun Tucker came to the plate as the go-ahead run with two men on and two outs, but Presbyterian's Reagan Fowler ended the threat by striking out Tucker on a 10-pitch at bat.
 
"It's always a grind to get out and play two, but we played really well in both games," said Crain, whose four hits in game two were a career high. "We just came up a little short in the end, but we fought back in the ninth and had a chance to tie it at the end. I'm proud of the guys for that."
 
With the series even after games one and two Friday, Longwood and Presbyterian will play Saturday's rubber matchup at 9 a.m. at Buddy Bolding Stadium.
 
Game One: McAllister's Walk-Off Infield Single Sends Longwood to Wild 6-5 Win in Opener
 
Jawan McAllister laced a game-winning bases-loaded infield single in the bottom of the ninth inning to send Longwood to a 6-5 win over Presbyterian in a back-and-forth series opener Friday afternoon at Buddy Bolding Stadium.
 
Longwood's redshirt senior outfielder stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in a tied game in the bottom of the ninth and drove a ground ball to the left side that took a tough hop and careened off of Presbyterian third baseman Jonathan White, sending in Nate Blakeney for the game-winning run.
 
That hit was the second of the day for McAllister and ended a wild ninth inning that saw Presbyterian pinch hitter Jeremiah Boyd tie the game with a two-out, two-strike, two-run homer in the top of the ninth. That long ball erased a 5-3 Longwood lead and wiped away a masterful start from Longwood freshman Andrew Melnyk, who limited Presbyterian to just four hits and one run over his 5.1 innings.
 
Melnyk left the game with a 4-1 lead, but the Blue Hose (24-26, 12-10 Big South) chipped away at that deficit on Zacchaeus Rasberry's two-out, two-run single in the top of the seventh before tying the score at 5-5 on Boyd's homer on their final strike in the top of the ninth.
 
"Melnyk gave us an outstanding start," Mau said. "He's really learning how to handle that role. He's getting better at it each and every time. He gave us a great opportunity to win in game one."
 
Longwood junior reliever John Gregory (3-3) earned the win after throwing 3.2 innings in relief of Melnyk, bouncing back after allowing Boyd's homer to retire leadoff man Zacchaeus Rasberry and end the ninth.
 
"That was an emotional roller coaster," Mau said. "You're one pitch away and then the guy puts a great swing to tie it up, but we stayed positive. The guys came out, fought back, and we were able to walk it off there at the end."
 
Longwood banged out 13 hits and took advantage of four Presbyterian errors to take down the Blue Hose for the first time since a 2-1 win the 2017 series opener. Junior first baseman Jacob Mitchell had two of those hits for the Lancers, mashing a solo home run in the second and a leadoff double in the sixth.
 
Freshman Cullan Wadsworth also contributed three hits, an RBI and a run and finished a home run shy of the cycle.
 
"We just came out here very aggressive in attacking the fastball, and guys bought into that approach," Crain said. "It's definitely the best back-to-back games we've had in a long time, if not all season."
 
Game 2: Rasberry Wills Presbyterian to 13-11 Comeback to Even Series
 
Center fielder Zacchaeus Rasberry carried the Blue Hose lineup from the top of the order, launching a go-ahead three-run homer in the top of the seventh to help Presbyterian overcome a six-run deficit and top Longwood 13-11 in game two.
 
Rasberry's go-ahead, three-run blast came with two outs in the top of the seventh and erased a 9-7 Longwood lead. The Blue Hose scored four runs each in the fourth and fifth innings, erasing a hot start from the Lancers who carried momentum from their game-one win by building an 8-2 lead by the end of the third.
 
Cullan Wadsworth put Longwood on top early with a two-out, three-run homer that completed his doubleheader cycle and extended Longwood's lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the second. His fellow heart-of-the-order hitters followed suit in the bottom of the third, as Eric Crain and Jacob Mitchell teamed up for back-to-back home runs as part of a four-run inning. Crain's blast was a three-run shot to the right field power alley, while Mitchell's was a no-doubter over the left field wall.
 
However, Presbyterian responded in the top of the fourth, scoring four times to cut Longwood's lead back to two runs at 8-6. A leadoff double from freshman utility player Johnny Cook started that rally, which continued with an RBI single from Jeremiah Boyd and a sacrifice fly from Jonathan White that sent in another run on an errant throw that rolled into the Longwood dugout.
 
The Lancers got one of those runs back on a Crain double in the bottom of the fourth, but Presbyterian jumped ahead for good as part of a two-homer fifth inning. Jimmy Marcelli led off the inning with a solo homer, and Rasberry added his go-ahead three-run bomb five batters later.
 
Presbyterian put up three more runs in the top of the seventh to extend their lead to four runs, but the Lancers bounced back thanks to 2.0 shutout relief innings from Jon Peterson that took the game into the ninth. Trailing 13-9, the Lancers went to work in their final turn at the plate, loading the bases against Clark Dearman to force the Blue Hose to go into their bullpen and bring out weekend starter Reagan Fowler with no outs.
 
Fowler, whose appearance was his first in relief all season, retired Pitts with a called third-strike fastball on the outside corner, but then allowed an RBI single to nine-hitter Jawan McAllister. A sacrifice fly from Wadsworth then followed, which cut the Blue Hose lead to 13-11 and left men at first and second with two outs. However, a 10-pitch battle between Fowler and Longwood shortstop Antwaun Tucker ended with the Presbyterian right-hander getting Tucker to miss on a breaking ball for the third strike.
 
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