Box Score

ROCK HILL, SC --  In a classic pitcher's duel, the Winthrop Eagles baseball team dropped the first game of the weekend series 3-0 in Orlando, FL Friday night against Central Florida.
 
In the first meeting between the two schools, UCF took advantage of a three-run eighth inning rally and exceptional pitching to secure the 3-0 victory.  The loss drops Winthrop to 3-6 on the year while UCF improves to 5-4.
 
This fast-paced game featured outstanding pitching performances from starters Matt Pierpont (1-1) and Ben Lively (3-0), as no runs crossed the plate in the first seven innings.  However, the bats came alive for the Knights in the bottom of the eighth when they broke the game open scoring three in the inning.
 
Even with the loss, Pierpont managed to keep the Knights' bats quiet into the eighth as he went 7.2 innings, giving up three runs on three hits and striking out seven.  However, Lively was just as effective as he was able to shut out the Eagle offense as he pitched eight innings and allowed only six hits.  The win improves Lively's record to 3-0 on the season.
 
Despite the loss, head coach Tom Riginos was happy with the team's effort.  “There are a lot of positives we can take from this game.  We played the game aggressively and with focus,” stated Riginos after the game.  “And I can't say enough about Matt Pierpont.  If he continues to pitch like that, we are going to win a lot of ball games.”
 
The Eagles threatened in the sixth when Clay Altman, TJ Olesczuk, and Max Vogel all singled with two outs in the inning, however all the runners were stranded when Jace Whitley struck out to end the inning.
 
UCF broke open the game in the bottom of the eighth when the Knights finally got to Pierpont scoring three runs in the inning.  With two outs in the inning, Erik Hempe singled up the middle scoring pinch runner Erik Barber for first run of the game.  The Knights added two insurance runs when JoMarcos Woods poked a single through the right side off reliever Mitchell Knox scoring Hempe and Tommy Williams to give UCF a 3-0 advantage. 
 
The Knight's three-run lead proved to be enough as UCF closer Spencer Davis took the mound in the ninth and retired the side securing the victory while collecting his second save of the season.
 
Although hits were hard to come by in the game, Cody Dolan put together a good night at the plate going 2-for-3, improving his batting average to .433 on the season.
 
Winthrop and UCF are slated for a 4:00 p.m. first pitch Saturday.  Right-handers Tyler Klitsch (0-1) and Danny Davis (2-0) are scheduled to start on the mound.
 
The game can be heard on the Winthrop Sports Network via www.winthropeagles.com.