Box Score Box Score

ROCK HILL, SC – The Winthrop baseball team received a career-best outing from reliever Mitchell Knox on Wednesday evening as it snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-2 win over the Furman Paladins at The Winthrop Ballpark.

The Eagles improve to 7-19 on the season, while the Paladins fall to 13-13 overall.

Preston Johnson (1-4) earned his first collegiate win tossing 3.0 innings and gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits, two walks and four strikeouts. Tyler Wood (3-3) suffered the loss allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits, three walks and two strikeouts in 3.0 innings pitched. Austin Stuart (3) picked up the save pitching two-thirds of an inning in relief giving up no runs on no hits, no walks and no strikeouts.

Knox did not give up a run in the 5.1 innings he pitched and gave up just three hits, three walks and three strikeouts. His previous career-long outing of 5.0 innings came at home against Charleston Southern on Apr. 22, 2011.

The Paladins recorded the first run of the ballgame off Johnson in the top of the first on an RBI single to left field by Will Miller, which scored Jake Jones from third. Winthrop, however, answered with a run of its own in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 1-1 on TJ Olesczuk's RBI single to left field.

Furman regained the lead at 2-1 in the top of the third when Jones scored from third on a wild pitch, but the Eagles responded with three runs of their own in the bottom-half of the third to go back ahead 4-2. It was a lead that Winthrop would never relinquish. The three-run inning was highlighted by an RBI single from Olesczuk and Chas Crane drawing a bases loaded walk. Olesczuk would later score when Justin Hopper reached on a throwing error by Hunter Burton at shortstop with two outs in the inning.

The Eagles extended their lead to 5-2 in the fourth when Tony Brandner came home all the way from first base on a double to left center field by Olesczuk and a fielding error by Paladin left fielder Will Owens.

Knox would run into trouble in the top of the ninth allowing runners on first and second with one out, but Stuart would come in and get Owens to hit into the game-ending 4-6-3 double play.

Olesczuk lead Winthrop offensively with a perfect 3-for-3 night at the plate with two RBI, and now has recorded at least two hits in his last three games. Owens, Miller and Burton had two hits each for Furman, while Miller collected the lone RBI.

The Eagles will be back in action on Friday, Mar. 30 as they travel to Boiling Springs, NC to face the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in the first game of a three-game Big South Conference series. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.