Box Score Box Score

ROCK HILL, SC – The Winthrop baseball team opened its three-game Big South Conference series against the Liberty Flames on Friday evening with a 7-0 defeat at The Winthrop Ballpark.

The Eagles fall to 11-24 on the season and 4-6 in conference play, while the Flames improve to 29-8 overall and 8-2 in the conference.

John Niggli (7-0) earned the win pitching 8.0 scoreless innings on five hits, one walk and five strikeouts. Matt Pierpont (3-6) suffered the losing allowing six runs on 11 hits, one walk and 10 strikeouts in 8.2 innings of work. The 10 strikeouts by Pierpont are a new career-high for him.

Liberty struck first in the top of the second plating four runs to take a 4-0 lead over Winthrop. The four-run inning was highlighted by a three RBI double to left field by Trey Wimmer with no outs in the inning. Dalton Sype also added an RBI single to center field in the next at-bat.

Pierpont then settled in and retired nine out the next 10 batters he faced, and would hold the Flames scoreless until the top of the ninth when he gave up a run on a suicide squeeze bunt from Sype bringing in Ryan Cordell, who led off the inning with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Wimmer. Pierpont then struck out Ashton Perritt with two outs in the inning, but Perritt would reach first on a wild pitch. Zack Haley then extended Liberty's lead to 7-0 with his two RBI double to left center field against Eagle reliever Steven Howell.

Winthrop was led offensively by TJ Olesczuk with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate, while Patrick Gamblin, Chad Smith and Justin Hopper collected one hit each. Cordell finished the game with three hits for the Flames, and Wimmer added a team-high three RBI.

The Eagles will resume their series against Liberty with game two on Saturday, Apr. 14 at 3 p.m.