ROCK HILL, SC – For the second straight contest a ninth inning rally for the Winthrop Eagles fell short as it dropped an 8-6 decision to the Kent State Golden Flashes on Sunday afternoon at The Winthrop Ballpark. It was the final day of the Johnny Gill Memorial.

The Eagles fall to 2-5 with the loss, while the Golden Flashes improve to 5-2 on the season.

David Starn (2-0) earned the win tossing 6.0 innings and allowed two runs on five hits, one walk and three strikeouts. Kyle McMillen (1) picked up the save coming on with two outs in the ninth inning and recorded a strikeout. Matteo D'Angelo (0-2) took the loss surrendering seven runs (four earned) on nine hits, no walks and no strikeouts in 4.0 innings of work.

“You have to play all nine innings,” said head coach Tom Riginos. “After the fourth inning we competed very well. In the first three innings we weren't doing that. You have a small room for error. When you do and spot a team like that five runs, it's hard to come back.”

Kent State opened the game scoring five runs in the first two innings to take a 5-0 lead over Winthrop. In the first inning, Ben Klafczynski plated Evan Campbell on an RBI single and later scored on a fielding error by Tyler Cook at second base with two outs. The Golden Flashes opened the scoring in the second inning when a failed pickoff attempt by D'Angelo on Derek Toadvine brought in Joe Koch from third base. Toadvine then scored on an RBI sacrifice fly to center field by Evan Campbell. Klafczynski followed two batters later with a solo homer to right field, his first of the season, for the final run of the inning.

Klafczynski made it 6-0 in the fourth inning on his RBI triple down the right field line plating Toadvine. It became a 7-0 contest when Klafczynski came home on Travis Shaw's RBI double into the right center field gap.

The Eagles produced their first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth when Brett Thomas drove in Chas Crane from third with his RBI sacrifice fly to left field, but Kent State responded with a run of its own in the top of the fifth when Campbell posted an RBI single to right field that scored T.J. Sutton.

Winthrop cut the deficit to 8-3 heading into the ninth after scoring a run each in the fifth and seventh innings. The run in the fifth came courtesy of Patrick Gamblin scoring on a wild pitch by Starn, and in the seventh Gamblin's RBI sacrifice fly to center field drove in Thomas.

The Eagles attempted comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning fell a couple of runs short as they only scored three to end the contest with an 8-6 score. The first two runs of the inning came on RBI groundouts by Cam Walters and Tyler Cook, and Adam Gliebe came up with an RBI single to center field.

Gliebe, Crane, Gamblin and Justin Hopper all finished with two hits each in the weekend finale, while four different Winthrop players had one RBI apiece. Klafczynski and Toadvine recorded three hits each for the Golden Flashes, and Klafczysnki led them with three RBI.

Winthrop will be back in action on Friday, Mar. 4 as it will host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 4 p.m. on day one of the Coca-Cola Classic.