Box Score
ROCK HILL, SC – The Winthrop baseball team dropped a 4-2 decision to the Columbia Lions on Thursday evening at The Winthrop Ballpark.
The Eagles record falls to 10-6 on the season, while the Lions improve to 3-7 overall.
“We didn't play well,” said head coach Joe Hudak.
Tommy Lawrence (0-1) took the loss on Thursday pitching 1.0 inning and surrendered three runs on one hit, two walks and no strikeouts. Pat Lowery (1-2) tossed 8.0 innings and gave up one run on six hits, no walks and one strikeout. Derek Squires (1) earned the save allowing no runs on no hits, no walks and one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning pitched.
Winthrop starter Wade Newman threw 7.0 innings and gave up only one run on six hits, two walks and one strikeout.
“Wade threw okay,” said Hudak. “He battled and did struggle the first inning or two, but he gave us seven good innings. You can't ask for anymore out of your starter than that. We're just not scoring runs.”
Columbia took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a Jason Banos RBI double to right center field. Dean Forthun scored on the double by Banos after reaching on a base-on-balls.
Eddie Rohan tied the game at 1-1 for the Eagles in the bottom of the fourth with his solo home run over the left field fence. The long ball by Rohan was his second of the season.
The Lions scored the go-ahead runs in the top of the ninth, highlighted by a two RBI double to left center field by Eric Williams. Forthun and Jon Eisen came home on the double. Eisen drove in Alex Godshall, who walked prior to Eisen coming to the plate, with his RBI double to right center field. Forthun was intentionally walked by Lawrence before the at-bat by Williams. Columbia would take a 4-1 lead over Winthrop after scoring the three runs in the ninth.
The Eagles cut the deficit to 4-2 in their half of the ninth on Adam Gliebe's RBI double to left center field that scored Sean Sullivan from second base. Sullivan reached on an infield single and moved to second on a wild pitch. Tyler McBride also advanced to third on the hit by Gliebe after getting hit by a pitch. The Lions then brought Squires in to pitch and proceeded to strike out Matt Pierpont swinging and getting Taylor Lang to groundout to third base.
Rohan, Sullivan and Gliebe had two hits each for Winthrop on the evening, while Rohan and Gliebe drove in both runs. Eisen had a team-high four hits for Columbia and Williams drove in two runs.
The Eagles will host the Lions at 6 p.m. on Friday, Mar. 19 on the first day of the Coca-Cola Classic. The Kent State Golden Flashes and Penn State Nittany Lions will also participate in the tournament.
