Columbia, S.C..- The UNCG softball team (4-3) fell to Longwood 9-1 and South Carolina 11-3 on the first day of the Carolina Classic hosted by South Carolina Friday. Longwood, who won the Big South Conference and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament a season ago, held the Spartans to one run on two hits in the first game. Despite scoring the first run of the game against South Carolina, the Gamecocks used a seven-run rally in the fifth inning to defeat UNCG 11-3.

Against Longwood, the Spartans fell behind by five runs when the Lancers tallied five hits in the top of the second inning to take a commanding lead.

UNCG responded in the bottom half of the inning when Kendall McKinney (Suwanee, Ga./North Gwinnett) singled to centerfield scoring pinch runner Alison Geiner (Raleigh, N.C./Middle Creek) from third base. A one-out single by Danielle Vega (Rialto, Calif./Aquinas) started the inning off for UNCG. Longwood was able to escape the inning without further damage as Alexis Overdiep (Apex, N.C./Apex) grounded out to second base stranding McKinney on base.

The Lancers added three runs on four hits in the top of the sixth to lead 8-1. LU's Emily Murphy led off with a triple to center field. She scored on a fielder's choice by Augustine and shortly after Lacey Leary (Norwood, N.C./Spartanburg Methodist College) came in to relieve Alicia Bazonski (Sheffield, Mass./Mount Everett) in the circle.

Leary faced three batters allowing in on third innings before Danica Bishop (Irvine, Calif./Nebraska) came in to finish the game. Bishop allowed three hits and one unearned run in one and a third innings of work.

Bazonski (1-1) was credited with the loss while Longwood's McCarthy earned the victory. Vega and McKinney were the only two Spartans to record hits in the loss while Lindsay Thomas (Irvine, Calif./Northwood) went 0-for-2 with a walk.

Thomas led off the second game of the day with a triple down the left field line but was thrown out at home two batters later. With two outs in the top of the first Stephanie Bryden (Orlando, Fla./East River) drove in her 12^th run of the season with a single through the left side, scoring Nicole Thomas (Irvine, Calif./Northwood) who drew a full count walk earlier in the inning.

The Gamecocks answered in the bottom of the inning scoring one run on one hit and a Spartan error to even the game 1-all. South Carolina extended its lead to 4-1 with three runs in the top of the second but the Spartans would not back down.

UNCG tallied two runs on three hits in the top of the third inning. L. Thomas led off with a single through the right side. She later advanced on a wild pitch and moved to third on a single by her sister N. Thomas. With bases loaded in the inning after a walk by Bryden, Vega drove in a pair of runs with a single up the middle. South Carolina was able to escape the jam stranding two UNCG base runners as the Gamecocks were clinging to a 4-3 lead.

The Gamecocks used four hits and a Spartan error to seal a victory in the fifth inning. Bryden (3-1) was handed her first loss of the season allowing nine runs, five earned, on six hits in four innings of work. Bazonski faced four batters in the fifth inning allowing the final two runs of the game on three hits. L. Thomas was the only Spartan to tally multiple hits while N. Thomas, Bryden and Vega also tallied a hit.

L. Thomas has reached base safely in all seven games this season while Vega extends her hitting streak to six games.

The Spartans take the field for the second day of the Carolina Classic at 10 a.m. when they face Ohio (1-0). UNCG will play Winthrop (2-4) at 3 p.m. for the final game of the weekend. Live stats will be available on UNCGSpartans.com for both games.

-UNCG-