Box Score
ASHEVILLE, NC – The Winthrop baseball team held on to defeat the UNC Asheville Bulldogs 12-11 in 13 innings on Friday afternoon at McCormick Field in Big South Conference action. The 13 inning contest was the longest of the season for the Eagles.
Winthrop improves to 16-17 on the season and 4-6 in the conference, while the Bulldogs fall to 11-19 overall and 5-8 in conference play.
“It was an unbelievable game,” said head coach Joe Hudak. “I was proud of my guys.”
Tyler Mizenko (1-3) had a career-best outing on Friday pitching 4.2 innings and gave up two runs (one earned) on six hits, two walks and eight strikeouts. The eight strikeouts are also a career-high for Mizenko. Tyler Coyle (1-2) took the loss for UNC Asheville hurling one inning and allowed five runs (none earned) on two hits, two walks and one strikeout. Tommy Lawrence (1) earned his first career save coming on to pitch two-thirds of an inning and surrendered no runs on one hit, no walks and one strikeout.
The Eagles jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first highlighted by Chas Crane's two RBI home run to left center field for his fifth of the season, although the Bulldogs rallied to cut the deficit to 3-2 in their half of the first when Catlin Carter scored on a double steal and Justin Schumer posted an RBI single with no outs.
UNC Asheville took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI groundout by Jacob Edwards and Carter's RBI single.
Winthrop responded with a run each in the fifth and sixth innings to go ahead 5-4 on Tyler Cook's RBI sacrifice fly to right field and Matt Thielepape's fourth long ball of the season to right center field, but the Bulldogs tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth when Ian Graham drove in Danny Baatz with an RBI double to right field.
The Eagles re-gained the lead at 7-5 in the 12th inning on an RBI double to left field by Patrick Gamblin and Tyler McBride's RBI single to left center field, but UNC Asheville answered with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning on RBI's by Schumer and Robert McIntosh.
Winthrop broke the game open in the top of the 13th scoring five runs to make it a 12-7 game. Thielepape got the scoring started with his RBI fielder's choice that brought in Austen Barber, but a throwing error by the first baseman allowed Cook to score from second base as well. Adam Gliebe followed with a three-run homer to left field for his third home run of the season.
UNC Asheville's rally in the bottom of the 13th fell one run short as it drove in four runs with an RBI each from Schumer and McIntosh, while Graham brought in two with his double. The Bulldogs managed to load the bases with two outs in the inning, but Lawrence managed to get Cody Buch to fly out to Zak Blair in left field on a full-count to end the game.
“We found a way to win and that's a good thing,” Hudak stated. “It was a big win for us.”
Cook and Gliebe posted three hits apiece in the series opener for the Eagles, and Gliebe had three RBI. Carter and Baatz both went 3-for-6 at the plate for the Bulldogs, while Schumer and Graham had a team-high three RBI each.
Winthrop and UNC Asheville will resume the series with game two on Saturday, April 17 at 2 p.m.
