Box Score
ROCK HILL, SC—The Winthrop baseball team used a two-run seventh inning on back-to-back home runs by Matt Thielepape and Chas Crane to earn a 3-2 win over the Canisius Golden Griffins on Saturday afternoon at The Winthrop Ballpark, on day three of the Johnny Gill Memorial.
The Eagles record improves to 9-4 on the season, while the Golden Griffins fall to 8-5 overall.
Robert Lake (3-1) hurled 7.1 innings on the afternoon and gave up two runs on five hits, one walk and six strikeouts en route to the victory. Billy Martin (1-2) took the loss after giving up three runs on five hits, two walks and four strikeouts in 6.1 innings pitched. Tyler Mizenko (3) earned the save pitching 1.2 innings and allowed no runs on one hit, one walk and one strikeout.
“Robert threw really well,” said head coach Joe Hudak. “We thought he matched up pretty well with a predominantly right-handed hitting lineup. He was ahead in the count all day.”
Both home runs by Thielepape and Crane led off the seventh for Winthrop against Martin. The long ball by Thielepape sailed over the left field fence for his first home run of the season, while Crane's shot over the right field fence was his second of the season.
The Eagles took a 1-0 lead over Canisius in the bottom of the second inning on Tyler McBride's RBI single that bounced over the head of Brian Burton at first base and into right field. Thielepape scored on the base hit by McBride after getting hit by a pitch to lead off the second and advanced to third after a single by Crane on a hit-and-run.
The Golden Griffins tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the sixth on Steve McQuail's solo home run that hit off the scoreboard in left center field to begin the inning.
Canisius cut the deficit to 3-2 in the top of the eighth on McQuail's second homer of the day over the right center field fence.
Crane and McBride led Winthrop offensively with 2-for-3 performances and one RBI each, while Thielepape added one hit and an RBI. McQuail and Sean Jamieson had two hits apiece for the Golden Griffins.
“It was a good college baseball game and certainly glad we came out on the winning end,” said Hudak.
The Eagles and Canisius will wrap up the Johnny Gill Memorial on Sunday, Mar. 14 with a 1 p.m. matchup.
