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Matteo D'Angelo BSC

#5 Winthrop Baseball Advances In Big South Tournament With 4-3 Win Over #8 Gardner-Webb

Eagles Will Play #2 Liberty At 3 p.m. Tomorrow

Box Score

ROCK HILL, SC – Chas Crane hit a solo home run and Matteo D'Angelo allowed one run in six innings as No. 5 seed Winthrop held off No. 8 seed Gardner-Webb, 4-3, in Game 2 of the 2010 Royal Purple Big South Baseball Championship, May 25 at The Winthrop Ballpark on the campus of Winthrop University. 

With the victory, Winthrop improves to 26-28 and advances to the main double-elimination bracket of the tournament.  The Eagles will face No. 2 seed Liberty on Wednesday at 3:00pm.  Gardner-Webb's season ends at 25-30.
 
Winthrop took the first lead of the game in the bottom of the first.  Sean Sullivan reached on an error by GWU third baseman Kurt Fulginiti, and later scored on Crane's deep sacrifice to right field to put the Eagles up 1-0.  Crane made it 2-0 in the bottom of the third with his 12th home run of the season.
 
GWU threatened in the fifth and sixth innings.  In the fifth, Ty Boyles reached on an error by Crane to open the inning and later moved to second on Benji Jackson's two-out single to center.  D'Angelo, who held Gardner-Webb scoreless the first four innings, hit Daniel Merck with a pitch to load the bases, but then induced Adam McFarland to fly out to center to end the inning.  In the sixth, Jake Watts reached on a one-out walk and moved to second on Aaron Miller's single to right.  D'Angelo got out of the jam by striking out Boyles and getting Josh Drewery to fly out to escape any damage.
 
The Eagles moved ahead 4-0 in the bottom of the sixth when Crane doubled and later scored on Matt Pierpont's single to center that loaded the bases.  Adam Gliebe was hit-by-pitch to bring in the fourth run.  Gardner-Webb finally cracked the scoreboard in the top of the seventh, and eventually chased D'Angelo after O.J. McFarland singled to open the inning and moved to third on Jackson's double to the gap in left center.  Tyler Mizenko replaced D'Angelo with no outs, and while allowing a ground out that scored pinch runner Matt Sapp, he struck out Adam McFarland and got Kurt Fulginiti to ground out back to the mound to end the inning.
 
But the Runnin' Bulldogs made it 4-3 in the eighth inning on Drewery's 2-run home run to left that scored Miller, who had reached on a one-out single earlier in the inning.  It was Drewery's 11th home run of the year.  Mizenko got three ground outs in the ninth inning to preserve the win.
 
D'Angelo (8-5) picked up the win.  He officially went six innings, allowing six hits and one run with two walks and five strikeouts.  Mizenko earned his sixth save of the season after throwing three innings.  It was his 20th career save, tying the Winthrop record and becoming the sixth pitcher in Big South history to reach the milestone.  Crane, Pierpont and Gliebe finished with two hits for the Eagles.
 
Michael Hanzlik (4-4) suffered the loss for GWU.  He allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits in five innings.  Miller, Drewery and Jackson led the Runnin' Bulldogs with two hits each.
 
For the second time since the Tournament expanded to eight teams in 2007, the top six seeds will play in the main double-elimination bracket, the last time coming that first year in 2007.  Meanwhile, the 2010 Baseball All-Conference team will be announced as part of an on-field ceremony prior to Wednesday's 3:00pm game featuring Liberty and Winthrop.
 
Winthrop Head Coach Joe Hudak
“Matteo D'Angelo threw a great game tonight.  He gave us a quality start and that was what we needed.  We played very well tonight.  You have to give Gardner-Webb credit.  They are a scrappy team and will play hard from the first pitch to the last.”
 
Gardner-Webb Head Coach Rusty Stroupe
“We have no regrets.  Both teams played a very good baseball game tonight.  Winthrop got the best of us.  We played four very competitive games this season, and tonight was one of those.”
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