Box Score
ROCK HILL, SC – The Winthrop baseball team used a seven-run fifth inning on Tuesday evening to defeat the Harvard Crimson 12-5 at The Winthrop Ballpark. It was the first-ever meeting between the two squads.
The Eagles improve their record to 10-5 on the season, while the Crimson fall to 3-5.
“It was a good game for us,” said head coach Joe Hudak. “Obviously, we didn't start out very well. We swung the bats well today and I was real pleased with that.”
Eric Ruth (1-0) earned his first career victory pitching 2.1 innings of scoreless baseball and gave up one hit, two walks and one strikeout. Zachary Hofeld (0-1) took the loss surrendering eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits, no walks and no strikeouts in 4.0 innings of work.
“I was real pleased with how we threw (today),” Hudak said.
Harvard scored three runs in the top of the first inning against Monteith to go ahead 3-0. Dillon O'Neill began the game with an infield single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Jeff Reynolds then sacrificed him over to third and came home on Marcus Way's RBI single. Sean O'Hara followed with an RBI sacrifice fly to right field that brought in Samuel Franklin, who walked followed the hit by O'Neill. Way later came home when Eddie Rohan attempted to throw out Dan Zailskas stealing second.
Winthrop drove in one run in the bottom of the second to make it a 3-1 game on Adam Gliebe's RBI single to center field. Tyler McBride scored on the hit after his double to left center field prior to the Gliebe hit.
The Eagles tied the game at 3-3 in the third inning on an RBI groundout by Matt Thielepape and a RBI sacrifice fly to left field by Chas Crane. Tyler Cook would score on the groundout by Thielepape after getting hit by a pitch to start the inning and moved to third after Rohan's base hit. Rohan would come home on the sacrifice fly by Crane.
The Crimson answered back to take the lead at 5-3 in the top of the fifth that began with Jeff Reynold's solo home run to left field. O'Hara followed two batters later with a double down the left field line and came home on Zailskas RBI single.
Winthrop broke the game open for good in the fifth inning scoring seven runs to take a 10-5 lead over Harvard. Rohan, Thielepape, McBride, Cook, Matt Pierpont and Zak Blair all drove in runs during the inning. Rohan started with his RBI triple to center field and scored on Thielepape's hit. Thielepape came home after Pierpont reached on a throwing error by the catcher, and Crane scored after McBride drew a bases loaded walk. Blair then drove in Sean Sullivan with his RBI double and Cook capped off the scoring by driving in Blair on an RBI single.
Sullivan gave the Eagles an 11-5 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning with his first home run of the season over the left field fence.
Gliebe started the seventh inning off with his leadoff home run to left field and increased Winthrop's lead to 12-5. It was the second long ball of the season for Gliebe.
“It was a good win for us and good to get back on the winning track,” added Hudak.
McBride and Blair both had a team-high three hits on the evening, while Gliebe drove in two runs. Rohan and Gliebe also posted two hits each. O'Neill, Reynolds, O'Hara and Zailskas all had two hits apiece for the Crimson.
The Eagles will be back in action on Thursday, Mar. 18 as they host the Columbia Lions at 5 p.m.
