Skip To Main Content

Winthrop University Athletics

Skip Scoreboard

Scoreboard

Schedule

All Events
Justin Hopper Hitting

Baseball Defeats Presbyterian College 15-1 In Series Opener

Eagles Record 17 Hits In Game One Of Series

Box Score

CLINTON, SC – Justin Hopper hit his first home run of the season and drove in a career-high three RBI as the Winthrop Eagles opened a three-game conference series against the Presbyterian College Blue Hose with a 15-1 win on Friday afternoon at the PC Baseball Complex.

The Eagles improve to 22-25 on the season and 10-9 in conference play, while the Blue Hose fall to 19-27 overall and 4-15 in the conference.

“All three phases of the game for us were good today,” said head coach Tom Riginos. “The biggest thing I was proud of was our approach. It was a clean ballgame and that's what we needed. We swung the bats extremely well, played good defense and our situational hitting was very good.”

Tyler Mizenko (4-2) earned the win allowing one run on four hits, no walks and four strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work. Jordan Pace (2-7) took the loss pitching 4.0 innings and surrendered eight runs (one earned) on eight hits, one walk and no strikeouts.

Presbyterian College jumped out to a 1-0 lead against Winthrop in the bottom of the first on a one-out RBI single to left field by Brad Zebedis. Mack Hite scored on the single after reached on a double down the left field line in the previous at-bat.

The pitching combination of Mizenko, Kenny Monteith and Daniel Hyatt would hold the Blue Hose scoreless for the remainder of the contest, including Mizenko and Monteith sitting down 17 batters in a row from the second inning until the bottom of the eighth.

The Eagles responded with four runs each in the third and fourth innings and went ahead 8-1. The third inning was showcased by a two RBI single to right center field by Eddie Rohan, and was then followed by a Matt Lobacz RBI single to center field and an RBI groundout by Patrick Gamblin. Rohan came up in the fourth inning and hit a solo home run, his fifth of the season, for the final run of the inning. Tyler Cook started the scoring in the fourth with an RBI groundout, and TJ Olesczuk provided an RBI sacrifice fly to center field prior to the homer by Rohan.

The long ball by Rohan was also his 47th career home run and puts him four behind David Anderson of Coastal Carolina (2006-09) for second place all-time in the Big South Conference record book.

Hopper's three-run homer, also the first of his career, highlighted a six-run seventh inning for Winthrop and increased its lead to 14-1. Olesczuk, Chas Crane and Adam Gliebe each had an RBI in the seventh.

Brett Thomas came home for the lone run of the eighth inning as he scored on a sacrifice fly by Gliebe to left field and gave the Eagles a 15-1 lead. Thomas pinch-hit for Lobacz to start the inning and doubled off the right field wall and went to third on a single to right field by Leighton Daniels.

The 15 runs by Winthrop are a season-high, while the 17 hits tie for the second-most this season.

Olesczuk led the Eagles offensively with a 3-for-5 performance, while Rohan and Hopper drove in a team-high three RBI each. Six different Presbyterian College hitters had one hit apiece, and Zebedis posted one RBI.

Winthrop will resume its series against the Blue Hose with game two on Saturday, May 7 at 2 p.m.
Print Friendly Version

Related Videos

Now Playing:

Related Stories