The Longwood baseball team had a quick turnaround against the North Carolina Central Eagles on Tuesday, April 5 after a rain-extended weekend at Big South foe Charleston Southern.
A five-run second inning was enough to lift the Eagles (14-17) to a 7-4 win and snap a four game losing streak, as well as the five game winning streak the Lancers were riding.
Junior designated hitter Alex Lewis led the Lancers at the plate finishing 2-4 while extending his hitting streak to 13, as well as notching his 13th multi-hit game, the most of any Lancer this season.
John Ortiz paced the Eagles with two RBIs on his two-run double in the second inning to get N.C. Central on the scoreboard. Ortiz was one of seven Eagles batters to pick up a hit in the win, five of those seven finished with multi-hit games.
The Lancers were able to bring the potential tying run to the plate in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings, but were unable to cash in.
Senior captain C.J. Roth got the Lancers back within striking distance with his two-out, two-run single in the fourth inning and sophomore Michael Osinski added an RBI-infield single in the sixth to cut it to a 7-4 game.
Junior right-hander Christian Gonelli got the win after five innings of seven hit and three run baseball. Longwood junior righty Cameron Trichka took the loss after allowing five runs in an inning and a third of work, surrendering seven hits and a walk as well as plunking a batter.
With the loss, the Lancers fall to 14-5 at home on the year and will have Wednesday and Thursday off before taking on the High Point Panthers with a chance to move into the top two in the Big South standings. Longwood enters the weekend as the third-seed with a 6-3 conference record behind only Coastal Carolina and High Point, who are both 5-1 in conference play.
