Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

ROCK HILL, SC – The Winthrop baseball team opened its three-game series with the Radford Highlanders on Friday afternoon by splitting a doubleheader at The Winthrop Ballpark. The Eagles dropped the first game 7-1 before winning the second game 9-8 in 10 innings on Tyler Donovan's RBI fielder's choice.

The Eagles are now 13-27 on the season and 6-8 in conference play, while the Highlanders are 22-16 overall and 7-4 in the conference.

Austin Stuart (3-1) earned the win in relief during game two pitching 4.0 innings and gave up two runs on three hits, one walk and four strikeouts. Abram Williams (1-2) suffered the loss giving up three runs on four hits, two walks and three strikeouts in 1.1 innings of relief.

The game-winning RBI by Donovan is the first of his career as Winthrop picked up its first extra-inning win of the season. TJ Olesczuk led off the tenth with a single to right field, and then the Eagles loaded the bases with no outs as Matt Lobacz drew a walk and Patrick Gamblin singled. Olesczuk would score the first run of the inning on a wild pitch by Williams, and Patrick McLendon's first career RBI at Winthrop tied the contest at 8-8. Donovan would then hit a ground ball to Radford shortstop Jeff Kemp, but his throw home was low allowing Gamblin to score the game-winning run.

Kemp gave the Highlanders an 8-6 lead in the top of the tenth with his two-run homer to right field against Stuart after the Eagles had tied the game at 6-6 with two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Leighton Daniels drove in the first run of the inning with his RBI infield single, and Olesczuk would add an RBI as he reached on a fielder's choice. Radford had taken a 6-4 lead in the top of the seventh on a leadoff home run to left field by Matt Hillsinger and Cory Turner added an RBI single to center field.

Winthrop entered the bottom of the sixth inning down 4-1, but Gamblin would tie the game for the first time with a three-run home run to left field bringing in Lobacz and Olesczuk. The homer by Gamblin was his fifth of the season.

The Highlanders would jump out to a 4-0 lead going into the bottom of the fifth after plating two runs each in the fourth and fifth innings. Daniel Wright drove in the first run of the fourth with his bunt single, and Josh Gardiner followed with an RBI groundout. Matt Mack and Hunter Higgerson had an RBI each in the fifth inning.

The Eagles trimmed the deficit to 4-1 in their half of the fifth on Donovan's RBI double to left field.

Olesczuk led Winthrop offensively in game two as he tied his career-high of four hits, while Gamblin drove in a team-high three RBI. Donovan also set a new career-high in hits with three. Hillsinger led Radford with a 5-for-6 performance at the plate, and Kemp added two RBI.

Eddie Butler (4-3) picked up the win in game one tossing 8.0 innings and allowed one run on six hits, no walks and four strikeouts. Matt Pierpont (3-7) took the loss surrendering seven runs on 11 hits, two walks and one strikeout in 7.0 innings of work.

The Highlanders would strike for five runs in the first three innings to take a 5-0 lead over the Eagles heading to the fourth inning. Radford recorded three runs in the first inning and two in the third. Kemp, Mack and Turner collected an RBI apiece in the first, while Turner added another RBI in the third along with Hillsinger's RBI double to right field.

Winthrop made it 5-1 in the fourth on Chas Crane's RBI single to center field, but the Highlanders responded with two runs in the top of the seventh to extend their lead to 7-1. Hillsinger and Turner were responsible for the two runs as Hillsinger posted an RBI double and Turner an RBI sacrifice fly to center field.

Kemp tallied a team-high four hits for Radford in game one, and Turner added a team-best three RBI. Max Vogel led the Eagles with two hits and Crane posted the lone RBI in the contest.

Winthrop will wrap up its series against the Highlanders with game three on Saturday, Apr. 21 at 3 p.m.