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Longwood takes series finale with LeMoyne

Chris Graham

Longwood University took a 10-0 home shutout baseball victory past visiting Le Moyne College Sunday afternoon at Charles Buddy Bolding Stadium in Farmville.

The Lancers improved their record to 17-6 while winning for the 15th time in the last 16 games, remaining one of the hottest teams in college baseball with their triumph against the Dolphins (4-14). Freshman Scott Burkett|Williamsburg (Jamestown) led the way with three doubles and a career-high six RBI, and fellow classmate Cory Ramsey|Petersburg (Matoaca) earned the pitching win with the first 7.0 strong innings.

Longwood will play again on Tuesday evening, March 22, hosting in-state opponent and Big South Conference member VMI at Bolding Stadium in Farmville beginning at 5 p.m. As always, admission is FREE to all Longwood home baseball games.

Longwood scored 10 runs on 12 hits against Le Moyne en route to taking the three-game weekend series finale, winning two of three against the Dolphins, including its second shutout of the season as well. The Lancers scored one run in the third on a sacrifice fly by senior captain Brant Jones|Richmond (Monacan) (1-2, 2 rbi) that scored classmate and team captain Chris Briere|Midlothian (James River) (2-4) who had opened the at-bat with a double. Longwood erupted for five runs in the fifth as Burkett (3-5, 6 rbi) delivered the big blow, a one-out, three-run double to right-center field after the hosts had loaded the bases with no outs and scored the first run when Jones was hit-by-a-pitch. Freshman Matt Dickason|Chesapeake (Indian River) (3-4, rbi) also had a run-scoring single in the inning for a 6-0 advantage through five innings.

Longwood added three more runs in the sixth as freshman Zach Mihalko|Richmond (Mills E. Godwin) (1-4) doubled with one out and later scored unearned via a passed ball before Burkett hit his second double of the game, a two-out, two-run blast to left-center field. The Lancers scored a final run in the eighth when Burkett once-again came through in the clutch with a two-out RBI double down the left field line that scored freshman Adam Blankinship|Richmond (Mills E. Godwin) (2-3) who, like Briere, had two hits in the game to go along with the three hits each by both Burkett and Dickason.

Ramsey (3-1) started for Longwood and earned the pitching win with the first 7.0 strong innings on the mound, allowing just four hits with six strikeouts to tie his career-high and no walks. Ramsey escaped a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the sixth with a fly-ball out to right field ahead of a called third strike to end the at-bat. Sophomores Bobby Shelton|Forest (Jefferson Forest) and Kyle Long|Halifax (Halifax County) combined with Ramsey on the four-hit shutout for the Lancers. Shelton pitched the eighth with one strikeout and two walks, while Long tossed the ninth with one walk.

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham, the king of "fringe media," a zero-time Virginia Sportswriter of the Year, and a member of zero Halls of Fame, is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].