FARMVILLE, VA – The Winthrop baseball team split a Big South Conference twin bill on Friday afternoon against the Longwood Lancers, who battled back in the ninth inning to win the opener 9-7 on a two-run walk-off home run before the Eagles pulled out the lumber in the second game to claim a 15-4 win at Buddy Bolding Stadium.

Winthrop is now 22-17 on the season and 9-5 in Big South Conference while Longwood is 13-24 and 5-9 in the conference. The third game of the series will be played on Saturday or Sunday, depending on weather..  

Game 1
Longwood 9, Winthrop 7

Winthrop led 6-1 in this game thanks to some shoddy fielding by the Lancers who committed four errors and allowed five unearned runs. Longwood scored a single run in the fourth inning and then matched Winthrop's sixth inning production with four runs to get within a run at 6-5. The Lancers tied the game in the seventh at 6-6 to set the stage for a solo home run to center field by Babe Thomas to reclaim the lead at 7-6.

With Winthrop closer Dalton Whitaker called on to get a save in the ninth, he was greeted by a first-pitch HR by Longwood's  Antwaun Tucker to left field.that tied the game once again. Jon Peterson kept the inning alive with a two-hit single to center. Michael Osinski then drilled a walk-off HR to left.

Whitaker suffered the loss and falls to 2-2. The Lancers Michael Catlin earned the win as he pitched two innings, allowed one run on two hits, and improved to 2-3 on the season.


Game 2
Winthrop 15, Longwood 4

Winthrop hitters had a field day in the second game as Thomas went 2-for-4 with five RBI including a two-run homer. Junior Mitch Spires went 4-for-6 with five RBI, and senior Anthony Paulsen was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, one RBI, and three walks.

Winthrop scored one in the top of the first, added four more runs in the top of the third with four singles and one double, and then took a 10-0 lead with five runs in the fourth that was highlighted by Thomas' bases clearing double down the left field line. Thomas' HR came in the seventh. Winthrop added one more run in the eighth and ninth inning.

The Lancers got the board in the bottom of the seventh when Tucker hit a three-run homer to left. They added more runs in the ninth with a double by Nathan Iskowitz that scored Scott Carter from first.

Nate Pawelczyk earned the win as he threw 6.1 innings, allowed two runs on two hits while striking out seven and improves to 6-1 on the season. Longwood Steven Farkas suffered the loss and drops to 0-1 on the season.

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