Gardner-Webb Rally Falls Short in Longwood Series Finale
April 06, 2014 | Softball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. --- Kellie Beres (Greenville, N.C.) drove in two runs with a double in the seventh, and Samantha Meenaghan (Atlantic Beach, Fla.) tallied two hits to stretch her hitting streak to eight games, as Longwood held off a late Gardner-Webb charge to edge the Runnin' Bulldogs 4-3 on Sunday afternoon and sweep the weekend's Big South Conference series.
Longwood (25-7, 12-2 BSC) plated four runs on six hits, as Gardner-Webb (11-28, 1-10 BSC) tallied three runs with eight base knocks and two Lancer errors.
Meenaghan and Taylar Pridgen (Trinity, N.C.) paced the Runnin' Bulldogs with two hits apiece, as Beres drove in a pair of runs with a seventh-inning double. Megan Champion (Knightdale, N.C.), Scarlett Harris (Sherrills Ford, N.C.), and Jill Blank (Leola, Pa.) each recorded a base knock. Harris, Blank and Pridgen each scored a run in the contest.
Jessica Childers (Jacksonville Beach, Fla.) went the distance for the Runnin' Bulldogs, pitching out of several jams while striking out four and holding Longwood to six hits.
Eight different Lancers recorded a hit in the contest, as Megan Baltzell, Jamie Barbour, Justina Augustine and Casey Lifsey each drove in a run. Libby Morris pitched the full seven innings for Longwood, surrendering three runs on eight hits and striking out three.
Longwood opened the scoring in the second inning, taking an early 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly by Augustine. The Lancers would add another run in the fourth, doubling the margin to 2-0 with an RBI single from Barbour.
Harris sparked the rally for Gardner-Webb in the fifth, leading off the inning with a single up the middle before advancing to third and scoring on a bunt single to third by Pridgen with two outs to cut the lead to 2-1. Meenaghan then dropped a base hit into right center, putting runners on first and second before Morris forced a grounder to third to end the inning.
Longwood countered with two runs in the seventh, pushing the advantage to 4-1 on a solo home run by Lifsey and a run-scoring triple from Baltzell.
The Runnin' Bulldogs wasted little time replying in the home half, loading the bases with three straight one-out singles by Blank, Pridgen and Meenaghan. Beres then delivered in the clutch, lacing a double down the left-field line to score Blank and Pridgen and cut the lead to 4-3.
After an unlucky bounce forced Champion to make contact with her bunted ball outside the batter's box, Morris snagged a sharp comebacker and threw the batter out at first to cap the inning and close out the one-run victory.
Gardner-Webb is back in action on Wednesday, returning to Rock Hill, S.C. to take on Winthrop in the final game of its season series with the Eagles at 6:00 pm.
| Box Score: Longwood 4, Gardner-Webb 3 |
