Longwood drops series finale to UMBC

Longwood University dropped a 6-1 baseball road decision at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County of the America East Conference Sunday afternoon in Baltimore.

The visiting Lancers (21-11) allowed four runs in the first inning against the host Retrievers (4-16) and never recovered en route to a setback in the three-game weekend series finale. Freshman Matt Dickason|Chesapeake (Indian River) had two hits and an RBI, while junior Dustin Sollars| Midlothian (Cosby) and sophomore Justin Lacy|Glen Allen (J.R. Tucker) each added two hits as well.

UMBC took the early four-run lead in the first behind an RBI double by Max Himmelstein (2-4, 2 rbi), run-scoring singles from D.J. Ream (1-3, rbi) and Rob McCabe (1-4, rbi), as well as an RBI grounder by Michael Pesci (0-4, rbi). The Retrievers made it 6-0 with two runs in the fourth as Curtis Schickner (2-4, rbi) contributed a run-scoring double ahead of an RBI single from Himmelstein.

Longwood avoided the shutout with a run in the fifth courtesy a sacrifice fly by Dickason (2-3, rbi) that scored junior Robby Newman|Virginia Beach (Salem) (1-2) who had reached on a bunt-single. Sollars (2-4) and Lacy (2-4) each had two hits along with Dickason. Unfortunately, the Lancers left six runners on base during the game, though UMBC stranded eight other baserunners on the day.

Senior Troy Dickman|Manakin Sabot (Midlothian) (2-1) took the Longwood pitching loss with the first 1.0 inning on the mound, allowing four hits and four runs, all earned, with no strikeouts and one walk. Junior Mark Montgomery|Williamsburg (Bruton) (0-0, 0.46 ERA, 19.2 ip, 32k) and freshman Ryan Schubert|Springfield (Annandale) were most-effective of four Lancers pitching in relief with the final 3.0 combined scoreless and hitless innings. Schubert posted two strikeouts and no walks over 2.0 innings before Montgomery registered three strikeouts while facing three batters in the UMBC eighth inning.

Austin Drewyer (2-3) earned the complete-game pitching win for UMBC over 9.0 innings, scattering eight hits and one run, earned, with five strikeouts and no walks.