ROCK HILL, SC – Presbyterian College broke open a tie game with five runs in the top of the tenth inning and went on to claim a 9-5 Big South Conference win over Winthrop on Saturday afternoon at The Winthrop Ballpark.
Winthrop's second straight loss to the Blue Hose drops the Eagles to 16-15 overall and 5-3 in Big South action while PC improves to 17-16 and 5-3 in conference play. The Eagles will look to salvage the final game in the series when they face PC on Sunday at 2 p.m.
PC opened the tenth inning by drawing back-to-back walks before Colton Chapman broke the 4-4 tie with a triple to left center to plate two runs. Chapman scored on a single by T.J. Richardson, who eventually came around to score on a single by Auckland. Winthrop got one of the runs back in the bottom of the tenth on a solo home run by sophomore
Brandon Fite.
The loss spoiled a three-home run day for the Eagles. Senior
Anthony Paulsen led the Eagles at the plate with a 2 for 5 day, including a solo home run to right field, while, sophomore
Hunter Lipscomb was 2 for 4 with a two-run homer to right, and the solo shot by Fite.
Winthrop junior
Riley Arnone (2-2) suffered the loss in relief as allowed two runs on two hits in three innings. Blue Hose Ryan Hedrick (2-2) earned the win as he also pitched three innings, allowed two runs on four hits.
The Eagles got on the board in the bottom of the second when Lipscomb singled to right, advanced to second on a wild pitch by PC starter Tanner Chock, and scored on a single by sophomore
Grant English. PC tied the game in the top of the fifth when Nick Guimbarda connected for solo home run to right field. The Blue Hose took the lead with two runs in the top of the sixth on a double by A.J. Priaulx which scored Cletis Avery from first and Tyler Weyenberg from second.
Winthrop tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on Lipscomb's two-run homer that scored junior
Mitch Spires, who reached base after being hit by a pitch. The Blue Hose reclaimed the lead with one run in the top of the seventh.Connor Slagill singles, advanced to second on a passed ball, went to third by a balk by Pawelczyk, and scored on a single to center field by Brett Auckland.
Paulsen tied the game once again with a solo HR in the bottom of the eighth.
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