Box Score ROCK HILL, SC-
Sam Kmiec recorded a complete game shutout while striking out seven to lead Winthrop to a 4-0 win over Charleston Southern in game one of the 2014 Big South Baseball Championship presented by Hardees and Triangle Rent A Car, Tuesday morning at the Winthrop Ballpark. With the win, the Winthrop improves to 25-32, while Charleston Southern falls to 30-25.
Kmiec now leads the conference in complete games (5) and is tied for first in shutouts (3) as he held the Bucs to just five hits all game. "Coach Crysler, our pitching coach tells us all year to work down the zone first, then worry about speed and movement and I thought I did a good job of that today," said Kmiec. "I also had some great defensive plays made behind me;
Chad Smith and
Leighton Daniels made some great plays for me." Tory Schroff took the loss for the Buccaneers and falls to 5-4 on year, giving up four runs on three hits.
Winthrop moved one across in the bottom half of the second to take the 1-0 lead. With one out,
John Menken hit a triple to right center field. The next batter,
Chad Smith hit a ground ball to third and CSU third baseman Alex Tomasovich tried to get the out at home but made a throwing error to allow Menken to score.
The Eagles added a pair of runs in the bottom of the third to extend their lead to 3-0.
Leighton Daniels reached on a one out single and
TJ Olesczuk brought Daniels home with a 350-foot shot to left field. About his home run Olesczuk said, " He had been throwing a change up all day and I was just sitting on it. He just left one in and I didn't do to much, just tried to put the ball in play. We knew the way Sam was pitching, if we put a couple across they weren't going to score."
Winthrop added a run in the bottom of the second to push its lead to 4-0.
Cody Dolan and
Babe Thomas each drew walks to put runners on first and second. A bunt single by Menken loaded the bases. Two batters later,
Clay Altman singled through the right side to bring home Dolan.
Head coach
Tom Riginos commented after the game, "Today was an outstanding team win. I think Sam was very, very good today. T.J. came in and had a big hit for us. It was a whole team effort; all three phases I thought we played well pitching, defense and hitting. We had timely hitting which is key for us. We had consistent defense, defense all day, and then Sam just pounded away. He got ahead and when you face a great hitting team like Charleston Southern you have to keep the lead off guy off the bases."
The Eagles will play the winner of the No. 3 Campbell/ No. 6 Coastal Carolina at 4:30pm on Wednesday, May 21.
