Box Score Box Score

CONWAY, SC – The Winthrop baseball team fell 4-1 to the 29^th-ranked Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Friday evening at Watson Stadium in the first game of a three-game Big South Conference series.

The Eagles fall to 14-33 on the season and 7-12 in the conference, while the Chanticleers improve to 34-15 overall and 15-4 in conference play.

Tyler Herb (8-2) earned the win tossing 5.0 innings and gave up one run on two hits, two walks and four strikeouts. Matt Pierpont (3-8) suffered the losing allowing four runs on 11 hits, four walks and five strikeouts in 6.2 innings pitched. Ben Smith (2) collected the save tossing 4.0 scoreless innings of relief on no hits, no walks and six strikeouts.

Coastal Carolina struck for one run in the bottom of the first on a two-out RBI single to right field by Alex Buccilli that scored Daniel Bowman from second base. Bowman walked with two outs in the inning and then stole second base prior to the single by Buccilli.

The Chanticleers extended their lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the third on back-to-back RBI singles from Buccilli and Tucker Frawley with two outs. Pierpont got Jacob May to ground out to second and struck Bowman out swinging to start the inning before giving up three consecutive singles by Buccilli, Frawley and Rich Witten.  Witten came home on the single by Buccilli, who then scored on the hit by Frawley.

Drew Hardee cut Winthrop's deficit to 3-1 in the top of the fifth with his RBI single to center field that drove in Chad Smith from second base. Smith led off the inning with an infield single to third base and moved to second on Leighton Daniels' sacrifice bunt.

Witten pushed Coastal Carolina's lead back to three runs at 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh with a two-out solo home run to left field against Pierpont. The long ball by Witten was his third of the season.

Hardee and Smith recorded both hits for the Eagles in the contest, while Hardee had the lone RBI. Buccilli led the Chanticleers offensively with a 4-for-4 performance at the plate with two RBI.

Winthrop and Coastal Carolina will resume their series with game two on Saturday, May 12 at 6 p.m.