Box Score Box Score
N. CHARLESTON, SC – The Charleston Southern Buccaneers scored five runs in its final two at-bats on Friday afternoon to pick up a 5-4 series-opening victory over the Winthrop Eagles at CSU Ballpark.
The Eagles fall to 13-31 on the season and 6-10 in conference play, while the Buccaneers improve to 17-28 overall and 8-8 in the conference.
Austin Weekley (2-5) earned the win in relief tossing 2.0 scoreless innings on no hits, no walks and one strikeout.
Tyler Klitsch (2-6) took the loss allowing two runs (none earned) on one hit, one walk and two strikeouts in one inning of relief. Corey Deighan (5) recorded the save pitching one scoreless inning with two strikeouts.
Winthrop's four runs came in the top of the first inning on a two RBI double from
Justin Hopper and a two-run homer by
Chas Crane. The long ball by Crane was his third of the season.
Jason Driver led off the game for the Eagles with a walk and
Matt Lobacz followed three batters later with a walk. Both Driver and Lobacz scored on the double by Hopper, and Hopper came home on the home run by Crane.
Charleston Southern starting pitcher Ryan Gunther proceeded to hold Winthrop scoreless during the remaining of his 6.0 innings pitched, and then the Buccaneers trimmed their deficit to 4-2 on back-to-back home runs by Chase Shelton and Walt Quattlebaum to begin the bottom of the seventh inning.
Alex Tomasovich made it a 4-3 contest for Charleston Southern in the bottom of the eighth when he reached on a fielding error that allowed Harrison Wilkins to come home. Wilkins started the inning with an infield single and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jaren Sustar. Tomasovich and John Faircloth would score the two go-ahead runs after the Eagles committed their second error of the inning following a Walt Quattlebaum strikeout. The Buccaneers went on top 5-4 at that point.
Shelton led Charleston Southern offensively with three hits in the contest, and was one of three players with one RBI each. Crane had a team-high two hits for the Eagles, and drove in two RBI along with Hopper.
Winthrop will resume its series against the Buccaneers with game two on Saturday, May 5 at 2 p.m.
