COLUMBIA, SC – Facing two of the best teams in the country in consecutive games on the second day of the Gamecock Invitational, Longwood suffered a 9-0 loss at the hands of No. 16 Duke on Saturday afternoon before No. 18 South Carolina followed up with a 12-2 victory over the Lancers last Saturday night at Beckham Field.
Continuing a challenge at the beginning of the season that now saw the Big South Lancers (2-6) play five of their first eight games against nationally ranked teams, Longwood was unable to repeat the turnaround he brought about in the 3-2 victory at the end weekends on No. 16 Georgia facing two of the country’s highest-scoring offenses in the Blue Devils (10-1) and Gamecocks (8-1) on Saturday.
Led by a loss of one hit by titleholder Peyton St. George, the Blue Devils kept Longwood’s attack under control early on Saturday afternoon and used a surge of energy towards the end of the game to reach a 9-0 victory.
Following Saturday night, host Gamecocks displayed his power from top to bottom with RBI from seven different players and a fourth entry from seven races to win a 12-2 victory. South Carolina for beginners Leah Powell, who shares a name but no relationship to Longwood’s bidirectional player Leah Powell, also fired a full game of five entries, holding the Lancers with just two strokes.
Along with their offensive displays, Duke and South Carolina have managed to silence a Longwood offense that the day before touched the South Carolina pitching team for a six-season record in a nine-season record. Lancers ‘lone hits on Saturday came out of the juniors’ baton Madison Blair and Sydney Jacobsenand second year Lauren Taylor.
Saturday’s doubleheader concludes Longwood’s participation in the Gamecock Invitational, but not the full Lancers weekend, as they will now head to Charlotte NC to catch the end of the First Pitch Classic presented by Charlotte in Charlotte, NC. it will be a 1pm showdown against host Charlotte, followed by a 4pm final against Western Carolina.
Game one: No. 16 Duke calms Longwood Bats in 9-0 victory on Saturday morning
Led by a shutout from a hit by ace Peyton St. George, the No. 16 Duke continued his rise in the national ranking at the expense of Longwood with a 9-0 victory on Saturday afternoon at Beckham Field.
The Lancers, playing their fourth game against one of the top 25 opponents this season, kept pace with Duke’s charged lineup in the first three frames thanks to three solid second-year entries Leigha Hill in his first career start. However, after Hill left in the fourth, the Blue Devil hit – led by three RBIs from catcher Kelly Torres – woke up and made seven combined runs in the last two frames to finish the game early and give it to Duke (10-1) his second tournament win and fourth consecutive overall.
Across from Hill, St. George stifled Longwood’s offensive from start to finish, allowing for just one hit – outside the Lancer bat. Sydney Jacobsen – on his way to his fourth career termination. She eliminated eight, issued just one hike and retired the final 10 hitter she faced to improve to 3-0 in the year and drop her ERA to 2.25 in the year.
Hill only allowed two runs in his 3.0 work innings, both of which resulted from solo home runs in the first and second inning. Hill got rid of both spots, however, ending these frames without allowing another hit and then working on a two-on jam on the third, rolling a double game solo ball for the midfield double of the fifth year of second base Destiny Martinez and shortstop Kasey Carr.
However, Duke’s clubs were not quiet for long, as Torres created two runs after Hill’s departure in the fourth game by hitting Raine Wilson with a double RBI and scoring two strokes later on a first and third double steal.
The fifth inning saw the offensive wave grow as the Blue Devils used three strokes and three strokes to hit four more runs, including a single from Torres that ended the game with two runs that led to the final score 9-0.
“Our path for this season will not be easy, but nothing big has happened by following the easy path,” said the head coach of Longwood in the first year. Dr. Megan Brown.
The defeat comes in the first of two games against Longwood’s top 25 teams on Saturday at the Gamecock Invitational. The Lancers will face South Carolina No. 18 in a 6 pm rematch at the end of the night at Beckham Field.
Game two: South Carolina’s host and 16th place remain unbeatable at home with 12-2 Win Over Lancers
Driven by an attack that saw seven different players race, South Carolina’s No. 18 completed a weekend sweep over Longwood with a 12-2 victory in Lancers’ doubleheader game two on Saturday afternoon at Gamecock Invitational at Beckham Field.
South Carolina’s race production came from top to bottom in the lineup, as eight different Gamecocks had basic hits, four scored multiple runs and eight crossed the plate at least once. South Carolina catcher Jordan Fabian led the team with a couple of strokes, two runs and a triple RBI that came as part of a first five-race start.
That first race of five was one of two major entries for the Gamecocks, who later scored seven at the bottom of the fifth to end the game.
Gamecock starter Leah Powell was the beneficiary of these offensive explosions, crossing for a five-game full game victory, while spreading two runs, one won, over a pair of Longwood strokes. It took just 71 shots to reach the end of the game and silenced Longwood’s last fifth-round save, working around a two-race Lancer rally that culminated in a two-year two-race duo. Lauren Taylor.
Between South Carolina’s two big entrances, Longwood ace Sydney Backstrom set out to nullify the Gamecocks in a second and third goalless. The All-Big South right-hand retired six of the eight hitters it faced in those two frames, but South Carolina caught up with it again at the end of the fourth before it gave way to the second year Leigha Hill, which closed the bottom of the fourth in its second appearance of the day.
“I was proud of the fight that our team showed, even in the face of great adversities,” said the Longwood coach Dr. Megan Brown. “I am proud of the fact that today did not discourage our team, but rather inspired them to continue to fight.”
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