Box Score
ROCK HILL, SC – The Winthrop baseball team opened its Big South Conference season on Friday evening with a 15-4 defeat to the High Point Panthers at The Winthrop Ballpark.
The Eagles record drops to 12-9 on the season and 0-1 in the conference, while the Panthers improve to 15-7 overall and 2-2 in conference play.
Wade Newman (2-1) threw 2.0 innings on Friday allowing six runs on seven hits, one walk and no strikeouts to take the loss for Winthrop. Jamie Serber (3-0) earned the victory for High Point hurling 5.1 innings and gave up three runs on nine hits, three walks and one strikeout.
“They (High Point) beat us in every phase of the game,” said head coach Joe Hudak. “It was a disappointing night. We just have to play better.”
The Panthers jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the Eagles in the top of the first inning on RBI's from Kyle Mahoney, Matt Gantner and Max Fulginiti. Fulginiti wrapped up the scoring in the first with his two RBI double down the left field line.
Winthrop responded with one run in the bottom of the first when Matt Thielepape reached on a fielder's choice and drove in Tyler Cook. Cook led off the inning with a walk.
High Point answered back with five runs over the course of the next three innings to increase its lead to 9-1. Nate Roberts highlighted the scoring with his two-run homer over the center field fence in the second inning, while Mahoney, Gantner and Steve Antolik had an RBI in the third and fourth innings.
Both teams exchanged two runs each in the sixth inning when Mahoney and Gantner both drove in a run for the Panthers, while Adam Gliebe and Max Vogel had an RBI each for the Eagles.
High Point added one run in both the seventh and eighth innings with an RBI from Pablo Rosario and Roberts scoring after Gantner hit into a double play.
Winthrop would bring home one run in its half of the eighth on an RBI double from Cook, but the Panthers answered with two runs in the ninth inning on an RBI double by Andrew Bartlett and RBI single by Murray White IV.
“The guys are working hard,” Hudak added. “When you go through a stretch like this everybody presses and somehow we just have to relax and play the game.”
White IV, Roberts and Mahoney had four hits apiece to lead High Point offensively, while Gantner had a team-high three RBI. McBride led the Eagles with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate. Cook, Gliebe, Vogel and Matt Thielepape all had one RBI each.
The series between Winthrop and the Panthers will conclude with a doubleheader on Saturday, Mar. 26 beginning at 2 p.m.
