NORFOLK, Va. – A shutdown bullpen performance and some early offense keyed Longwood past Norfolk State 8-5 to open a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Marty L. Miller Park, but the Spartans downed the Lancers 2-1 in a pitching duel in game two to split the day.
In the first game, a balanced Lancer (7-7, 1-2 Big South) offense had every starter reach base safely while piling up eight runs on 11 hits, with six different players driving in a run.
Eliot Dix,
Ricky Jimenez and
Andrew Gorham each had a pair of hits in the game, and Gorham and
Hunter Gilliam drove in two runs apiece.
The bullpen stifled Norfolk State over the final five innings to both earn the win and seal the deal, with
Colton Hutt,
Logan Berrier,
Matt Shobe and
Dillon Champagne totaling a combined eight strikeouts to one hit and one walk. The foursome only faced a total of 16 batters, one more than the minimum, over the five-inning span.
In game two, Norfolk State (3-10) used a complete game from Danny Hosley to take down Longwood in a pitcher's duel. In the seven-inning affair, Hosley went the distance and limited Longwood to three hits and one unearned run, facing only 25 batters in the process.
Game One: Lights Out Bullpen Preserves Early Lead in 8-5 Win
An opportunistic, aggressive Longwood offense put up six runs through three innings, and the bullpen dominated the final five innings to lead Longwood in game one.
The Lancers used a strong two-out approach in the first inning, with Dix kicking off a two-out rally by singling in the bottom of the first. Gilliam walked, and Jimenez knocked an RBI single to right field to open the scoring.
Justin Looney drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 2-0 a few batters later.
After Korey Singh hit a solo homer for Norfolk State (2-10) in the second, the Lancers answered with another two-out base knock. This time it was Gilliam with the timely hit, as the sophomore launched a two-run triple to right-center to extend the lead to 4-1.
Norfolk State rallied for a trio of runs that tied the game in the third, but again Longwood responded. This time, a pair of walks put
Nate Blakeney and Looney aboard with nobody out. Gorham poked a single down the line to score one, and
Michael Peterson roped a double that plated one more to establish a 6-4 lead.
While Norfolk State cut the lead to one in the fourth, Longwood starting pitcher
Andrew Melnyk limited the damage before giving way to Hutt to start the fifth. Hutt (1-0) proceeded to strike out the side to earn the win, his first as a Lancer. Berrier tossed two scoreless frames, working around a hit and a walk while striking out a pair. Shobe went three-up, three-down in the eighth, and Champagne struck out the side to close it out. For Champagne, it was his second straight save and third of 2021.
"We were able to get on the board early with the entire lineup reaching base in the first three innings," said Longwood head coach
Ryan Mau. "Gilliam and Gorham provided the big swings we needed. The bullpen was awesome again, shutting it down the last five innings."
Game Two: Hosley's Gem Shuts Down Lancers 2-1
In the second game, offense was hard to come by, and Hosley outdueled Longwood starter
Andrew Potojecki in the seven-inning contest. Hosley (1-0) was masterful for Norfolk State, holding Longwood to a season-low three hits in his seven innings. The senior struck out five in the win while only giving up one run on three hits and a walk.
Potojecki (1-2) nearly matched Hosley pitch for pitch across six innings. The freshman struck out a pair while working around seven hits and a walk that led to two runs, one earned, for a tough-luck loss.
The Lancers struck first in the bottom of the first inning after
Cullan Wadsworth banged a one-out triple and scored on a grounder by
Eliot Dix one batter later. Wadsworth had two of the team's three hits in the game while going 2-3 at the plate.
Norfolk State evened the score in the third after an error extended the inning. Ty Hanchey hit home the tying run with a fielder's choice to drive home Mason Velasquez.
The Spartans took the lead in the top of the sixth after a mini two-out rally. Phillip Boykin tripled to the left-center gap, and Adam Collins drove him home with a single down the line to make it 2-1.
Potojecki gave us plenty tonight, but unfortunately we weren't able to provide him much support," Mau said. "Wadsworth tried to get us going, but our lineup just didn't make the adjustments. We have to be more consistent with our energy and level of play going forward."
Longwood is back in action on Tuesday, diving back into Big South play with a trip to High Point for a midweek matchup. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
#GoWood
