On Sat., Nov. 6, Longwood's Club Baseball team took on the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Rams in a doubleheader. In game one, junior pitcher Brett Draper carried a no-hitter through the first 6 2/3 innings before giving up two hits and two runs. Draper threw for seven innings with seven strikeouts, two hits, and two earned runs. Draper commented on his almost no-hit bid, saying, "I threw a lot of first pitch strikes which made it easier for me to be effective." Junior first basemen Russell Hill and sophomore outfielder John Ponton both looked fierce at the plate going 2-3. The Lancers continued to look strong at the plate with sophomore second baseman Chris Thayer going 2-2. Senior catcher Matt McCloud went 1-2 with two walks, two runs, and a stolen base.
In game two, the Lancers were down 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning before senior outfielder Anthony Capaso hit a game-tying RBI single, sending the game into extra innings. The Lancers went down again 4-2 in the eighth. The team went on to score three runs in the bottom of the eighth to win the game with a final score of 5-4. Senior Nick Inge came through in the clutch with the game-winning sacrifice fly. Sophomore pitcher Tyler Faubert threw for five innings with two hits, five walks, and nine strikeouts. The Lancers finished the fall season with a final record of 9-5.
McCloud said, "I think we played probably the best we played all season to be honest. For some reason, we always bring our A-game against VCU.
Longwood Club Baseball will start back up in spring 2011 for their regular season. Hill commented, "We have big expectations for our team in the spring. I think we have proven that we are one of the best Division II teams in the country after handling William & Mary and VCU easily. Anything less than a World Series appearance from us would be considered a failure to me.
