Box Score
ROCK HILL, SC—The Winthrop baseball team dropped its fourth straight decision on Thursday evening with a 5-4 defeat to the Toledo Rockets at The Winthrop Ballpark, on day one of the Johnny Gill Memorial.
The Eagles fall to 7-4 overall on the season, while the Rockets improve to 6-3.
“It was a game we had plenty of opportunities to win, but we just didn't play well enough to win,” said head coach Joe Hudak.
Kyle Shaw (1-1) picked up the victory after tossing 5.1 innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits, no walks and six strikeouts. Matteo D'Angelo (1-2) took the loss surrendering four runs on 11 hits, no walks and four strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work. Matt Zahel (2) earned the save pitching 1.0 inning and gave up no runs on two hits, two walks and one strikeout.
“Matteo wasn't locating as well as he normally does,” said Hudak. “He still hung in there and battled.”
Toledo jumped out to a 2-0 lead over Winthrop in the top of the first inning on an RBI double by Tim Krofcheck and Aaron Dudley's RBI single. The double by Krofcheck scored Chris Dudics after he started the game with a triple to the right center field gap. Krofcheck later came home on the hit by Dudley.
The Rockets added one run in the fourth inning to increase their lead to 3-0. Mark Lapikas singled home Dan Sherwood from second base after Sherwood singled to right field and moved to second after Joe Corfman grounded out to first base.
The Eagles made it a 3-1 game in the bottom of the fourth on Matt Thielepape's RBI groundout to second base scoring Eddie Rohan. Rohan reached on a double to left field and advanced to third after Shaw's failed pickoff attempt.
Toledo responded with two runs in the top of the sixth to go back up 5-1. Sherwood began the scoring with his RBI double to left field that scored Jim Vahalik. Sherwood came home after Lapikas reached on an error by Adam Gliebe.
Winthrop cut the deficit to 5-4 in its half of the sixth after scoring three runs off Shaw and reliever Mike Inselmann. Thielepape drove in Tyler Cook for the first run of the inning after Cook led off with an infield single and moved to third after Sean Sullivan's single to right field. Sullivan later scored on Chas Crane's single and Zak Blair would drive in Thielepape for the last run with his RBI groundout to second base.
Winthrop had the bases loaded in the eighth inning with one out against Matt Suschak after Thielepape walked, and Crane and Zak Blair singled. The Eagles did not manage to drive in any runs as Suschak struck out Patrick Gamblin swinging and got Gliebe to hit into a fielder's choice.
The Eagles loaded the bases again in the bottom of the ninth when Cook singled, and Sullivan and Thielepape drew back-to-back walks against Zahel. Winthrop did not manage to score any runs in the inning after Rohan struck out looking and Crane grounded out to first base.
“We have to take care of the opportunities that we get,” Hudak added. “Hopefully we will come out and take advantage of them tomorrow and get a win.”
Cook led Winthrop offensively with a 3-for-5 performance, while Thielepape had a team-high two RBI. Dudley posted a team-best three hits and was one of four Rockets to drive in one run each.
The Eagles will be back in action on Friday, Mar. 12 as they host Toledo at 4 p.m.
