Box Score Box Score
ROCK HILL, SC – The Winthrop baseball team suffered a 3-0 defeat to the Holy Cross Crusaders on Friday evening at The Winthrop Ballpark in the first game of a three-game non-conference series.
The Eagles fall to 1-13 on the season, while the Crusaders improve to 4-5 overall.
Nate Koneski (1-0) earned the win pitching 7.0 scoreless innings and gave up three hits, two walks and six strikeouts.
Matt Pierpont (1-3) took the loss tossing a career-high 8.0 innings and surrendered three runs (none earned) on four hits, two walks and nine strikeouts. The nine strikeouts are also a new career-high for Pierpont. John Colella (2) picked up the save throwing 2.0 innings giving up no runs on one hit, one walk and three strikeouts.
The Eagles looked to get on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the seventh after
Justin Hopper walked to lead off the inning and moved to second on
Tyler Donovan's sacrifice bunt.
Jason Driver then fouled out to right field allowing Hopper to tag up and advance to third base. The cutoff throw by Holy Cross missed its mark and Hopper tried to score from third. Crusader left fielder Chris Sintetos backed up the throw to third and was able to throw home in time to get Hopper at the plate.
Holy Cross broke the scoreless tie with three runs in the top of the eighth with two of those runs coming on Sintetos' two-out two RBI single to right field with the bases loaded. Evan Ocello came home in the next at-bat when Josh Olson reached on a Winthrop throwing error to first base.
The Eagles had a chance in the bottom of the ninth to get on the scoreboard loading the bases with one out after
Matt Lobacz was hit by a pitch,
TJ Olesczuk singled to right field and Hopper walked. Winthrop was unable to drive in a run during the ninth as Colella got a 6-4-3 double play to end the ballgame.
Olesczuk, Hopper, Driver and
Drew Hardee collected the Eagles four hits in the series opener, while Sintetos had a team-high two hits and two RBI for the Crusaders.
Winthrop and Holy Cross will resume their series with game two on Saturday, Mar. 10 at 3 p.m.
