SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Longwood won a thriller 7-6 over USC Upstate to open a three-game series on Friday night at Harley Park.
 
Myles Webb crushed a career-best two home runs for a career-high five RBI, and James Nelson added a homer of his own. The duo combined to drive in all seven runs for the Lancers (11-35, 5-14 Big South) to upend the Big South-leading Spartans (24-22, 11-5 Big South).
 
Guillermo Garcia, Jr. outdueled Amp Phillips on the mound, limiting a high-octane USC Upstate offense in five innings of work, and Ried Dittner battled through the final four innings with a career-high seven strikeouts to preserve the win.
 
SCORING:
               R             H            E
LWU      7             5             2
USCU    6             7             0
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
Garcia and Phillips showcased their stuff early on to set the stage through three innings. Garcia retired six straight to start the game and nine of the first 10, with the lone man reaching due to an error.
 
Phillips, meanwhile, put Longwood down in order the first time through the order.
 
However, the Lancers struck first in the fourth. Jae'dan Carter singled, and then Nelson launched one to the opposite field for his fifth home run of the season and a 2-0 lead.
 
USC Upstate answered with a three-run home run from Johnny Sweeney to punch back in the bottom of the inning for a 3-2 lead.
 
Longwood came up with a haymaker in the fifth though. Casey Gibbs, Carter Newman and Carter all walked to load the bases, with those serving as the only three walks issued by Phillips all night. And then Webb paid it off. He crushed a breaking ball over the left field wall for a grand slam, his fourth homer of the season, to give Longwood a 6-3 lead.
 
Sweeney poked an RBI single up the gut to cut the Longwood lead to 6-4, but Garcia struck out Scott Newman to end the threat and keep the lead.
 
Garcia (4-5) struck out four in five innings while giving up four runs on two walks and four hits.
 
Dittner took over in the sixth and set Upstate down in order. He danced around a bases-loaded jam in the seventh before again retiring Upstate in order in the eighth.
 
Meanwhile, Webb ripped a 1-2 pitch over the left field wall in the top of the eighth for a 7-4 lead, and it proved pivotal.
 
Upstate loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth and drew two bases-loaded walks, but Dittner gutted it out and struck out Wylie Waters to end the game and get his first save of the season. He gave up two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out seven. He had multiple strikeouts in three of his four innings of work.

WHAT THEY SAID:

"Tonight turned out to be eactly how we planned it," said Longwood Head Coach Ray Noe. "Guillermo gave us a fantastic start, yet again, and we knew going into it if we had the lead we were going to Dittner. Ried was electric and made the pitches when he had to the most. It's never easy to win at this level, and we didn't make it the prettiest, but we got it done and that's all that matters."

"Myles was unconscious tonight at the plate," said Noe. "He is so fun to watch. He has such a high baseball IQ and always has a plan at the plate. He never tries to do too much and allows the game to come to him."
 
UP NEXT:
 
Due to weather, the second game of the series will begin at noon on Saturday afternoon. The game will air on ESPN+.
 
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