FARMVILLE, Va. – Offensive fireworks were on display on Saturday at Buddy Bolding Stadium as Longwood and Presbyterian split a doubleheader to open a four-game series.
 
Aiden Tierney hit a grand slam that proved to be the difference in game two for Longwood in an 8-5 win after Presbyterian squeezed out a 7-6 win in the opener.
 
The Longwood (11-19, 4-12 Big South) offense stayed aggressive in game two to avenge the game one loss, posting 11 hits in the seven-inning game. It marked the third straight game Longwood has had at least 10 hits, with the Lancers going 9-2 when they have put up double digit hits.
 
"I thought it was a really competitive day today," said Longwood head coach Ryan Mau. "I thought the guys fought hard. Unfortunately we just came up short in game one. I loved the response from them in a must-win game two."
 
Tierney's grand slam was the exclamation point in the third inning of the second game, and four other players had multiple hits, with Hunter Gilliam, Jack Schnell, Drayven Kowalski banging out two hits apiece.
 
"I thought we put competitive at bats together all the way through the lineup and got off to a great start there in game two," Mau said. "It was great to see Tierney provide us the big swing."
 
That came on the heels of the opener that featured a combined 27 hits and 13 runs, with Presbyterian (8-11, 7-6 Big South) just edging out Longwood by one run.
 
The Lancers tied a season high with 15 hits, but Zachaeus Rasberry led a Blue Hose offense that posted 12 hits of its own as he went 2-4 with three RBI in the first game. He was one of five players with two hits in the contest.
 
The Lancer offense also featured five players with multiple hits in game one, as Cullan Wadsworth had his first three-hit game of the season for the Lancers. Gilliam, Eliot Dix, Dillon Champagne and Ricky Jimenez each added two hits in the game as well.
 
Game One: Presbyterian 7, Longwood 6
 
Presbyterian took the back and forth series opener after plating runs in five straight innings from the third to the seventh. Five of the team's seven runs came with two outs, including the go-ahead RBI double by Kyle Merkle in the seventh inning that broke a 6-6 tie.
 
That was just enough to overcome a Longwood offense that racked up 15 hits, the most since playing NC Central on February 23. Wadsworth led the way with a 3-5 day, his ninth multi-hit game of the season, but multiple players stepped up as the team scored all six of their runs with two outs.
 
Both sides opened the scoring in the third, as Rasberry gave his team the lead on an RBI double. He scored on a Veach single to make it 2-0, but Longwood responded on an RBI single by Eliot Dix that gave the freshman a team-best 23 RBI on the season.
 
After PC extended the lead to 4-1, Longwood used a huge two-out rally in the fifth to take the lead. Wadsworth and Gilliam tagged back-to-back singles to start the rally before Wadsworth scored on a wild pitch. Champagne clobbered an RBI double to the centerfield wall, and Jimenez smashed a two-run double down the line to go up 5-4.
 
Rasberry answered with a two-run single in the sixth to go up 6-5, and the Blue Hose didn't trail after that. Gilliam tied it in the bottom of the sixth after coming home on a wild pitch, but Merkle's RBI double answered it in the seventh.
 
From that point on, Chris Veach came on and closed the game out for the Blue Hose, retiring the final six batters of the game for Longwood to earn his third save of the season. Brandon Williams (1-1) earned the win after coming on in relief in the fourth inning.
 
Logan Berrier (2-1) took the loss for Longwood after coming on in relief in the fifth inning. He struck out four against three walks and two hits that turned into one run. Dylan Saale didn't factor into the decision after going 4.2 innings for a second straight start. The freshman struck out four while giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk.
 
Game Two: Longwood 8, Presbyterian 5
 
Longwood's offense didn't let up in game two and kept the pressure on. The team snowballed to eight runs combined between the second and third innings and staved off a late rally by Presbyterian.
 
The bottom of the Lancer order had a big game, with the three batters combining to go 5-8 at the plate. That half of the order opened the scoring, as eight-hitter Hayden Harris singled home a run to give Longwood a 1-0 lead in the second. With two outs and the bases loaded, Eliot Dix ripped a two-run single up the middle for a 3-0 lead, and the freshman now leads Longwood with 25 RBI.
 
Following a 1-2-3 inning by starter Dominick D'Ercole in the top of the third, Jack Schnell cranked a double down the left field line to keep the train rolling. He scored on a James Nelson single, and then Longwood loaded the bases with one out. Tierney stepped up and cleared them with a no-doubter over the left field wall for his first collegiate homer.
 
"Jack Schnell provided a couple big at bats in game two," Mau said of the senior, who went 2-4 with two doubles.
 
The Blue Hose started to rally and eventually broke through with a big sixth inning. The team batted around by rapping out three hits and drawing three walks. Andrew Livingston and Jeremiah Boyd each had RBI singles, and two runs scored on wild pitches, and PC cut the lead to 8-5. Ultimately, a flyout ended the threat in that half. Presbyterian managed to bring the tying run to the plate in the seventh, but closer Dillon Champagne struck out Noah Lebron to end the threat.
 
D'Ercole (2-2) earned the win for Longwood after pitching 5.1 innings. He came out dominant and retired the first nine batters he faced in order with seven strikeouts. After dancing around trouble in the fourth and fifth, he ran into trouble in the sixth and left with the bases loaded. He gave up five runs, four earned, while walking four and striking out seven against five hits. Champagne earned his fourth save of the year after throwing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and two walks.
 
Eric Miles (2-2) took the loss for Presbyterian after giving up all eight runs on 10 hits with three walks and five strikeouts in 4.0 innings of work.
 
"I thought we got two good starts on the mound, and that's what we're going to look for tomorrow as well," Mau said. "We need to get zeros up on the board early and try to chase the starter as soon as we can."
 
The two sides play a doubleheader to close the series on Saturday afternoon. Game one of the twin bill begins at noon at Buddy Bolding Stadium. Longwood will send left-hander Andrew Melnyk to the mound to take on Presbyterian right-hander Duncan Howard.
 
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