Box Score
FOREST CITY, NC – The Winthrop baseball team fell to the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs 5-4 on Friday evening at McNair Field, in the first game of a three-game Big South Conference series.
The Eagles record drops to 13-12 on the season and 1-3 in the conference, while the Runnin' Bulldogs improve to 13-12 overall and 3-1 in conference play.
“It's a disappointing loss,” said head coach Joe Hudak. “The bottom line, as it always is, we just didn't get the job done.”
Wade Newman (2-2) took the loss on Friday throwing 5.1 innings and allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits, three walks and no strikeouts. Brock Wilson (4-2) hurled 4.0 innings of relief to earn the victory surrendering one run on two hits, one walk and one strikeout. Adam Izokovic (3) picked up the save after tossing 1.1 scoreless innings and gave up one hit and one walk.
Gardner-Webb would jump out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first after an RBI sacrifice fly by Kurt Fulginiti and Aaron Miller scoring on a wild pitch by Newman. Daniel Merck led off the inning with a single to center field and moved to third base on a hit-and-run single to right field by Miller. Merck would score on the sacrifice fly by Fulginiti.
The Eagles responded to score three runs in the fourth inning to take the lead at 3-2. Chas Crane entered the game to pinch-hit for Tyler Donovan and delivered a two RBI double to left center field. Matt Pierpont and Patrick Gamblin came home on the hit after Pierpont led off the fourth with a bunt single and Gamblin walked. Crane would come home on Tyler McBride's RBI triple.
Winthrop added another run in its half of the fifth on an RBI sacrifice fly by Matt Pierpont to go up 4-2. Matt Thielepape came home on the fly out as he started the inning with a double to center field and advanced to third when Sean Sullivan grounded out to the shortstop.
The Runnin' Bulldogs answered back with a run of their own in the bottom of the fifth to cut the deficit to 4-3 on Fulginiti's RBI double. Miller walked one batter earlier and scored on the hit by Fulginiti.
Gardner-Webb re-took the lead in the sixth inning at 5-4 after scoring two runs. Ty Boyles drove in Jake Watts with his RBI triple to right center field and later came home on Matt Sapp's RBI sacrifice bunt.
“There were some good things that happened,” Hudak said. “I thought we had some good at-bats, manufactured some runs and turned two double plays.”
McBride led the Eagles offensively with a 2-for-4 performance at the plate, while Crane drove in a team-high two runs. Watts and O.J. McFarland had two hits each for the Runnin' Bulldogs and Fulginiti added two RBI.
The series between Winthrop and Gardner-Webb will conclude on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.
