ROCK HILL, SC–The Winthrop baseball team got strong pitching and timely hitting to sweep a Saturday doubleheader against Canisius as the Eagles won 2-1 and 3-1 at The Winthrop Ballpark.
The two wins improves Winthrop's record to 7-8 while Canisius is now 10-5.
In the first game of the twin bill, sophomore second baseman
Brandon Fite stroked a line drive walk-off single to right centerfield to score
Grant English with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. In the nightcap, sophomore right-hander
Nate Pawelczyk hurled eight innings of one-run, six-hit baseball to earn the win, and junior shortstop
Mitch Spires drove home two runs with a double in the fourth inning.
In the opener, senior right-hander
Reece Green pitched a strong game, but did not figure in the decision. He held went 7.2 innings and left with the game tied at 1-1. He struck out five and walked two, while allowing one run on six hits. Freshman Coltan Rendon came on in relief in the eighth and retired all four batters he faced to earn his first collegiate victory and improve his record to 1-2.
The Golden Griffins scored their run in the second after Joseph Preziouso was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and came around to score following a single and two infield groundouts. The Eagles tied the game in the sixth when
Matthew Mulkey drew a lead-off walk, was sacrificed to second by Fite, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a bunt by
Babe Thomas.
The Eagles scored the winning run in the ninth as English reached on a one-out single, was sacrificed to second by pinch-hitter
Jake Sullivan, moved to third on a deep fly ball by
Tyler Musselwhite and then scored on Fite's two-out line drive single.
In the second game, Winthrop scored twice in the fourth inning as Fite and
Anthony Paulsen collected back-to-back singles to open the frame. They advanced a base on a sac bunt by Thomas and scored on Spires' deep drive that one-hopped the left centerfield wall.
Canisius got one of the runs back in the sixth after Tim Kensinger led off with a triple to right centerfield and scored on a squeeze bunt by Liam Wilson. The Eagles responded with a single run in the seventh inning when Spires drew a walk to lead things off and was sacrificed to second by
Hunter Lipscomb. He stole third and then scored on a RBI single by English.
The Golden Griffins threatened in the top of the ninth as they got their first two batters on base with singles by Jake Lumley and Ryan Stekl, but Winthrop head coach
Tom Riginos brought in left hander
Riley Arnone to get the first out on a sacrifice bunt by Christ Conley, and then went to the bullpen again to bring in
Dalton Whitaker who fanned the two hitters he faced to earn his first collegiate save.
Winthrop will return to action on Tuesday when it travels to Charleston, SC to take on The Citadel at 6 p.m. at Riley Park.
