BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The five-time Big South champion Longwood Lancers made a statement in their 2021 conference opener. Several, in fact.
 
Behind a four-RBI day from Lauren Taylor, a two-hit shutout from Sydney Backstrom in game one, and a 5.0 shutout relief innings from Angelina Sherba in game two, the Lancers (11-13, 2-0 Big South) cruised to a doubleheader sweep over Big South preseason favorite Gardner-Webb with an 11-0 mercy-rule takedown in game one and a 7-2 win in game two Saturday afternoon at Masters Field.
 
The wins extended the red-hot Lancers' win streak to seven straight, improved them to 7-1 in Big South openers since joining the conference in 2013, and inaugurated the program's pursuit of a record sixth Big South title under first-year head coach Dr. Megan Brown with a 2-0 start.
 
Gardner-Webb (1-12, 0-2 Big South) entered the 2021 season as the Big South favorite according to the Big South Preseason Coaches Poll but had no answer for Longwood's bats in the twinbill, as the Lancers scored in eight of their 12 turns at the plate. Taylor played a big role in that offensive outburst, going 3-for-4 with a double, homer, two walks and two stolen bases in the doubleheader, while Madison Blair and Mason Basdikis also contributed three RBI apiece.
 
Longwood's arms fared just as well, as Backstrom held Winthrop to two hits in game one for her second straight complete-game shutout, and Sherba continued that dominance with 5.0 innings of one-hit ball in game two. The Lancers surrendered only eight hits in the doubleheader and just one extra-base knock, which was a first-inning home run in game two from Meredith Ferguson that accounted for both of Gardner-Webb's runs on the day.
 
"I'm proud of the work and execution the team showed today," said Brown, whose Lancers are batting .331 and boast a 2.64 ERA during their seven-game winning streak. "Every single person contributed in a positive way. I'm pleased with the adjustments we're making; we still have places to grow, but I'm pleased with the work."
 
Game One: Longwood Backs Backstrom's Gem With 11-Run Outburst
 
Lauren Taylor's three-run homer highlighted Longwood's highest scoring game of the season, as the Lancers turned eight hits into 11 runs to back a second straight shutout from ace Sydney Backstrom.
 
Backstrom was in control from the start and allowed just two hits to extend her scoreless streak to 11.2 innings and win her fifth consecutive decision. The 6-1 right-hander struck out seven, and from the second to the fourth inning punched out four straight and six of seven batters she faced.
 
Backing Backstrom was Longwood's biggest offensive eruption of the season, which came against Big South Preseason Pitcher of the Year Brooke Perry (0-5), whom Longwood knocked out of the game after plating nine runs – six earned – against her in 4.0 innings of work. Taylor and Mason Basdikis combined to drive in six of those runs hitting out of the No. 6 and No. 7 spots in the batting order, five of which came in back-to-back plate appearances in the bottom of the fourth.
 
Meanwhile, Backstrom – who preceded Perry as the Big South Preseason Pitcher of the Year in 2020 – shut down Gardner-Webb from her first pitch and did not let a single Gardner-Webb baserunners to advance past first base.
 
Along with the three-RBI days from Basdikis and Taylor, designated player Madison Blair drove in two runs for the Lancers while freshman leadoff hitter Lauren Fox scored twice, stole a base and reached safely in all three of her plate appearances with a single and three walks.
 
Game Two: Sherba Dominates Out of Bullpen as Lancers Secure Sweep With 7-2 Win
 
After Sydney Backstrom blanked Gardner-Webb in game one, Angelina Sherba carried the torch with a shutdown performance out of the bullpen in game two to lead Longwood to a 7-2 victory over Gardner-Webb that was the Lancers' third straight doubleheader sweep.
 
Sherba entered the game with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the third and never looked back, getting out of that jam unharmed and shutting out the Runnin' Bulldogs the rest of the way en route to 5.0 scoreless innings and a career-high five strikeouts. Her 5.0 shutout frames marked the longest scoreless relief appearance by a Lancer since former All-Big South great Sydney Gay fired 5.0 shutout frames against North Carolina on March 15, 2016.
 
Sherba allowed only four of the 19 batters she faced to reach safely, scattering two hits, a walk and a hit batter. Only one of those baserunners advanced past second base as Longwood backed their 5-6 southpaw with a defensive effort that featured just one error, which the Lancer infield promptly erased on the next at bat with an inning-ending double play in the bottom of the fifth.
 
With Sherba in command, Longwood's bats stayed hot from game one and plated seven runs on 10 hits, including a second-inning, two-run homer from three-hitter Sydney Jacobsen. That long ball was the team-leading third of the season from the Lancer first baseman, who went 2-for-4 in game two to extend her hitting streak to six games.
 
Jacobsen was one of six Lancers to drive in a run in Saturday's nightcap, leading a contingent that also got one RBI apiece from Madison Blair, Kasey Carr, Nia Green, Lauren Taylor and Alexis Wayland. Green and Taylor both had two hits, while Wayland doubled in Longwood's first run of the game and increased her team-leading hitting streak to eight games in the process.
 
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