Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ROCK HILL, SC—The Winthrop Eagles baseball team swept its doubleheader against LaSalle Saturday at the Winthrop Ballpark.  The Eagles won the opener 7-3 and had to rally to win the second half of the twin bill 9-5.

GAME 1
Winthrop defeated LaSalle in the first game of the afternoon with a strong offense and solid defense.

Both teams struggled to get on the scoreboard early as the game was scoreless through the first 4 ½ innings.  The Eagles' designated hitter Anthony Paulsen doubled to lead off Winthrop's half of the fourth and advanced to third on Roger Gonzalez's single.  Paulsen scored on Jace Whitley's fielder's choice to give Winthrop a 1-0 lead and the home team never looked back.

The Eagles extended their lead to 5-0 in the 5^th with two hits and four RBIs.  They were also assisted by two LaSalle errors and a passed ball.

Gonzalez, who was 2-5 on the afternoon with two RBIs, hit Winthrop's first home run of the season on the first pitch of the 7^th inning.

Winthrop left hander Sam Kmiec (1-0) pitched a no hitter until the 7^th inning.  He finished the afternoon with nine strikeouts, only allowing one hit and one walk through seven innings to pick up the win.

The Explorers finally got on the scoreboard in the top of the 9^th but could not overcome the seven run deficit.  The game ended in a 7-3 final with the Eagles coming out on top.

GAME 2
The Eagles needed some late rallying in the second game of the double header to run its record to 3-0 on the season.

Winthrop struck first in the second game when Paulsen was sent home by a Gonzalez single, taking the 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 1^st inning.

LaSalle rallied in the top of the 4^th with four hits, grabbing their first lead of the series, 3-1.  The Eagles responded quickly when Whitley drove in his second run of the day, once again sending Paulsen home.

The Explorers stretched their lead to 5-2 in the 6^th with three hits, chasing Winthrop starter Thad Harris forcing the Eagles to go to their bullpen.  Winthrop responded with two runs in their half of the sixth, one coming from a Babe Thomas sacrifice fly and the other from a Mark Lowrie RBI single.

Winthrop evened the score at 5-5 off of a Paulsen RBI sending Tyler Asbill home in the 7^th. 

The Eagles continued this momentum into the 8^th when LaSalle's right handed pitcher Tom Fazzini lead the inning off by walking two straight batters and hitting another to load the bases.  Kyle Edwards took advantage of this opportunity by lacing a two run double giving the Eagles a 7-5 lead.  Asbill added another run with a fielder's choice RBI and another run scored on a double play ground ball.

Winthrop's defense held strong with three up, three down in the top of the 9^th to post the 9-5 victory.

Winthrop head coach Tom Riginos was pleased with his team's performance on the afternoon.

"All in all I thought it was a great day for us," said Coach Riginos.  "It's never easy to take both games in a double header and we were able to accomplish that and that's a big feather in our cap.  I was really pleased with how we battled back in the second game.  We got behind but we showed some toughness and didn't panic.  I thought Sammy (Kmiec) threw fabulous in the first game.  Freddie (Sultan) kept us in it that second game and I'm real excited about where we are right now.  We just have to get back after it tomorrow."

The Eagles, 3-0, will conclude their home series against LaSalle Sunday when they go for the sweep beginning at 1:00 pm.

For the latest information on the Winthrop Baseball team, follow @WinthropBasebal on Twitter or go to www.winthropeagles.com.