Box Score Box Score
MT. PLEASANT, SC – The Winthrop baseball team allowed a season-high 18 hits on Tuesday evening as it fell 16-3 to the College of Charleston Cougars at The Ballpark at Patriot's Point in non-conference action.
The Eagles fall to 11-23 on the season, while the Cougars improve to 23-11 overall.
Ryan West (3-3) earned the win tossing 6.0 innings and gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits, no walks and seven strikeouts.
Preston Johnson (1-5) suffered the loss allowing seven runs on six hits, four walks and one strikeout in 3.0 innings of work.
College of Charleston jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning aided by three Johnson walks. Marty Gantt led off the inning with a single to left field and then stole second and third bases. Tyler Jackson would drive in Gantt on his RBI groundout to first. Johnson then surrendered a single to center field by Daniel Aldrich and three straight walks to Rob Harding, Bradley Goodson and Brandon Glazer. The walk to Glazer allowed Aldrich to score from third.
The Cougars plated three more runs in the bottom of the third on a three-run homer to left center field by Bradley Goodson to left center field to extend their lead over the Eagles to 5-0. The home run by Goodson was his sixth of the season. Aldrich and Brandon Murray both scored on the long ball as each singled to right field to start the inning.
College of Charleston added to its lead in the fourth inning to 9-0 after plating four runs. Jackson drove in his third runs of the contest with a two RBI double to right center field to start the scoring in the inning, while Murray added an RBI sacrifice fly and Goodson recorded an RBI single to right field.
Jason Driver got Winthrop on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth with his solo home run to right field to lead off the inning. It was his second home run of the season, with both coming in the last two games.
Patrick Gamblin was then hit by a pitch two batters later and then scored from third on a throwing error from catcher Ryan Welke after
Max Vogel struck out.
The Cougars responded with five runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth to increase the lead to 14-2 with Gunnar Heidt providing a three-run homer with one out in the inning against Eagle reliever
Michael Gilroy. Aldrich and Rob Harding also had an RBI in the inning.
Winthrop made it a 14-3 contest in the top of the seventh on an RBI sacrifice fly to right field by
Chas Crane bringing home
Jace Whitley from third base. Whitley led off the inning reaching on an error by Cody Martin at first base and moved to third on a single by Driver down the right field line. College of Charleston would respond to go back ahead 15-3 in the bottom-half of the inning on RBI single to left center field by Goodson.
The Cougars added one run in the bottom of the eighth on Blake Ross' RBI single to right field and make it a 16-3 ballgame.
Driver tied his career-high of three hits to lead the Eagles offensively, and had one RBI along with Crane. Goodson posted a 4-for-4 performance at the plate with five RBI for College of Charleston.
Winthrop will be back in action on Friday, Apr. 13 as it returns to The Winthrop Ballpark for the first time in eight games to host the Liberty Flames in the first game of a three-game Big South Conference series. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
