Last Sunday, Longwood University's Division II club baseball team played Virginia Tech's Division I team. The team played a double-header against the Hokies, which left the Lancers with a 5-5 record for the fall season.Senior catcher Matt McCloud and freshman outfielder Nick Higuchi each hit a home run in game one to lead the way offensively for the Lancers. Senior outfielder Shane Cochrane looked strong at the plate with three hits. Junior pitcher Brett Draper said, "McCloud and I had them guessing the whole time." Draper left the mound after five innings hoping the Lancers' bullpen could shut down the Hokies. He had only given up three earned runs, but the Longwood bullpen let him down by giving up ten runs in the final two innings. The Lancers lost 14-8.
In game two, the Lancers got off to a good start offensively, with home runs by junior first basemen Russell Hill, sophomore catcher Andrew Minnix, and sophomore outfielder John Ponton.
Continuing his dominance at the plate, Cochrane had two hits. There was a strong pitching performance in relief by sophomore Tyler Scrima. Draper came back in the game during the sixth and seventh innings striking out five batters. The Lancers committed too many errors in the seventh inning, which ended up giving them the loss with a final score of 9-8.
The competition thus far in the fall season has been tough. Hill said, "We played against some of the best teams in Division I club baseball this fall, so we will definitely be ready when we get back to facing Division II teams in the spring."
Hill added, "Tech and Maryland are both World Series contenders in Division I and we played in some very competitive games with them."
On Sat., Oct. 30, the Lancers will play their final game of the season when they face William & Mary.
