Box Score
ROCK HILL, SC – The Winthrop baseball team opened its 2010 season with an 8-4 win over the Northwestern Wildcats on day one of The Bojangles Baseball Classic, Friday evening at The Winthrop Ballpark.
The Eagles are now 1-0 on the season, while the Wildcats fall to 0-2 after losing earlier in the afternoon to the George Mason Patriots.
"It was a great way to start the season (with the win)," said head coach Joe Hudak. "I liked the way we swung the bats."
Matteo D'Angelo (1-0) earned the victory pitching 7.0 innings allowing two runs (both earned) on six hits, one walk and six strikeouts. Joe Muraski took the loss after surrendering eight runs (six earned) on 10 hits, one walk and one strikeout in 5.0 innings of work. Greg Hough earned his first career save at Winthrop after throwing 1.1 innings and allowing no runs on no hits, no walks and striking out one batter.
"Matteo threw well, but I don't think he had his best stuff," Hudak said. "He made good pitches when he had to."
Northwestern jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a solo home run by Chad Noble that sailed just over the right field wall off D'Angelo.
The Eagles answered back with five runs in the bottom of the second inning highlighted by a three-run homer by Patrick Gamblin in his first collegiate at-bat. The round tripper by Gamblin scored Matt Thielepape from third base and Chas Crane from second. Thielepape and Crane started off the inning with back-to-back singles to left field and advanced one base each after a sacrifice bunt by Matt Pierpont. Tyler McBride followed the home run with an infield single and came home after a triple to the left center field gap by Adam Gliebe. Gliebe then scored on a sacrifice fly to left field by Tyler Cook.
The Wildcats cut the deficit to 5-2 in their half of the third on a solo homer to right field by Arby Fields.
Cook drove in his second run of the game for Winthrop in the fourth inning to make it a 6-2 game after his infield bunt scored McBride from third base. McBride reached on an error by the first baseman in his at-bat and then stole second after a failed pickoff attempt. He advanced to third after a balk by Muraski.
The Eagles added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to increase their lead to 8-2. Sean Sullivan scored the first run of the inning after an RBI single to left field by Thielepape. Sullivan led off the inning with a bunt single to third base and moved to third after Eddie Rohan singled to center field and the center fielder mishandled the ball. Rohan later scored on a sacrifice fly to deep center field by Pierpont.
Northwestern would score two runs in the eighth off Tommy Lawrence, who came on in relief of D'Angelo. Chris Lashmet drove in Trevor Stevens for the first run after Stevens started the inning with a walk and then stole second base. Lashmet moved to third after Zach Morton singled to left field, and scored on an RBI single by Colby Everett. After a walk to Geoff Rowan to load the bases, Hough retired Quentin Williams on a fly ball to Sullivan in right field.
Rohan and Thielepape led Winthrop offensively with two hits apiece, while Gamblin had three RBI and Cook added two runs batted in. Noble went 3-for-5 for the Wildcats with the home run, and Everett had two hits.
"We were ready to play," added Hudak. "I thought we played good defense. It was a real complete game for us."
The Eagles will be back in action on Saturday, Feb. 20 as they host George Mason at 2 p.m. on day two of The Bojangles Baseball Classic at The Winthrop Ballpark.
