#2 Longwood Eliminates #5 Charleston Southern, 10-6
By Longwood Athletics
CLINTON, S.C. — The Longwood softball team sent 12 batters to the plate in a nine-run fifth inning and held on to eliminate Charleston Southern, 10-6, from the 2025 Big South championship at the PC Softball Complex on Friday.
The Lancers strung together seven hits in their first at-bat to open a 9-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning to advance in the tournament after knocking Charleston Southern out for a second consecutive season.
Second-seeded Longwood (21-31) next plays No. 1 Radford Friday in another elimination game at 2:30 p.m. The Highlanders fell to No. 4 Winthrop, 7-4, in 11 innings on Thursday.
"Fight, fight and more fight," Longwood head coach Dr. Megan Brown said. "That's the road ahead. Have to keep things simple and stay one game, one inning and one pitch at a time. Proud of their grit and determination."
Avery Drake opened the Lancers' half of the first inning with a double down the left-field line and Avery Jefferson followed with a single through the left side and stole second. After a strikeout, Maryanna Guy singled sharply to left to plate Drake.
Avery Miller then drew a walk from Charleston Southern's Kinsley Clopton and Sarah Terrell singled to left to make it 2-0.
Sophia Knock and Sophia Pisacano earned back-to-back bases-loaded walks to extend the lead to 4-0 prior to a Kate Westmiller single to center pushed the lead to 5-0 and spelled the end of the night for Clopton as Riley Lauffer entered the circle.
She was greeted rudely by Drake, who singled to third, scoring Knock for a six-run advantage. Jefferson then grounded out to shortstop to plate Pisacano, followed by a two-run single from Brooke Bennett to cap the offensive outburst.
Charleston Southern (20-29) got a run back in the top of the second, but Guy responded with a solo home run to right-center field to make it 10-1. The blast was her team-leading 12th of the season.
The Buccaneers cut into the lead again with five runs in the fifth after being just one out from having the Lancers win by the run rule. First, Charlee Yourman singled home Weslin Jones to make it 10-2 and then Jordy Dimond hit a bases-clearing single to center field to cut the deficit to 10-6.
Maggie Chapin (9-13) lasted 4 2/3 innings to earn the win while Erin Kirkland picked up her first save, pitching the final 2 1/3 frames. Chapin was charged with five earned runs and five walks while giving up six hits. She struck out five.
Clopton (4-5) recorded just one out in absorbing the loss. She surrendered eight runs — all earned — five hits and three walks.
Drake and Guy each registered two of the Lancers' nine hits. Bennett and Guy drove in two runs apiece and Drake also scored two times in the victory.