Box Score

ROCK HILL, SC --  Back to back homerun blasts from Cody Dolan and Matt Lobacz powered Winthrop over Charlotte for the second time this season as the Eagles toppled the 49ers 11-2 Wednesday night at The Winthrop Ballpark.
 
The Eagles scored early and often Wednesday night as they jumped out to a 6-1 lead after two innings.  The fireworks came in the second inning as Winthrop posted five runs on three hits highlighted by back to back homerun shots from Dolan and Lobacz.  Dolan and Lobacz, along with Chad Smith, registered three RBI's on the evening while Dolan homered in back to back games.  The Eagles added to their lead with three runs in the fourth and two more in eighth to provide the pitching staff with plenty of support as a combination of Jared Keels, Joey Strain, Mitchell Knox, and Zach Sightler held the 49ers to just one run in five innings of relief while starter Sam Kmiec (2-5) collected his second win of the season.
 
The season sweep of Charlotte bumped Winthrop to 14-25 in the 2013 campaign while the 49ers dropped to 22-15 on the season.  The Eagles will carry back to back wins with them on the road to Lynchburg, VA to take on Liberty in a Big South Conference three-game weekend series.  The teams are set to play at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.
 
Winthrop jumped on Charlotte's freshman starter Micah Wells (0-3) in the first when Clay Altman roped a two-out double to left field bringing Jace Whitney around from to score and give the Eagles a quick 1-0 lead.  However, the 49ers came back and tied it up in the top half of the second on JJ Elseser's RBI ground out to the shortstop which scored Tony Montalbano from third.
 
Winthrop reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the second with a five-run offensive outburst which started an 8-0 stretch for the Eagles.  Stephen Wallace started the second inning rally with a single to center field and moved up to second when Austen Barber reached base on a fielding error by the pitcher.  Both runners were then promptly moved up a base on Kyle Edwards' sacrifice bunt.  With runners on second and third and one out Leighton Daniels hit a sacrifice fly to right field scoring Wallace from third. Whitley then stepped to the plate and was plunked with the first pitch of his at-bat putting runners on first and second with two outs with Dolan coming to the plate.  With a hitter's count, Dolan smashed Wells' 2-0 pitch over the left field wall for a three-run homer to give Winthrop a 5-1 lead.  Lobacz kept the rally alive as he launched the very next pitch over the wall in right field putting the Eagles up 6-1.
 
Daniels kept things rolling in the fourth with a single to start the inning.  Daniels eventually was ushered around to third base on Dolan's single through the left side of the infield.  After Dolan advanced up to second on a wild pitch, Lobacz delivered a big two-run single through the right side bringing both Daniels and Dolan around to score.  Lobacz alertly moved up to second base on the throw to plate and was then moved over to third when Altman grounded out to second.   Smith then capped off the inning with a two-out RBI single to left field scoring Lobacz from third and giving the Eagles a commanding 9-1 lead.
 
Charlotte managed to get a run back in the sixth on Brad Elwood's RBI double however, the Winthrop pitching staff stifled the 49ers' dynamic offense for most of the game.  After Kmiec's four innings of two-hit baseball, Keels was summoned for an inning of work where he allowed one run on two hits and struck out two.  Strain, Knox, and Sightler combined to shut out the 49ers in the final four innings while allowing them just two hits.
 
Smith's two-out, two-run single in the eighth scoring Dolan and Patrick extended Winthrop's lead as the Eagles went on to win 11-2.
 
“We played really well in all three phases.  I really like what we are doing at the plate right now.  The pitching and the defense have been there all season and if we continue to play that good defense, good things are going to happen,” commented Winthrop head coach Tom Riginos after Wednesday win over Charlotte.  “I think we have gained some momentum.  These past two weeks we have been playing our best baseball.  I like where this team is right now especially from a mental standpoint.”
 
The Winthrop offense continues to stay hot as Eagle hitters tied a season high with 14 hits in Wednesday night's game.  Daniels' two-hit performance extends his hitting streak to a season high nine games.  During the nine-game stretch, Daniels is 20 for 41 (.488) at the plate with seven RBI's and nine runs scored.
 
Five Winthrop hitters registered multiple hits in Wednesday night's game including Dolan and Smith who both had three hits.  Smith also collected his fifth multi-RBI game of season (team season high).