ROCK HILL, S.C. – Winthrop baseball (6-13, 1-0 Big South) claimed a 15-9 victory in its conference opener over Presbyterian (5-14, 0-1 Big South) in a high-scoring affair Friday evening at The Winthrop Ballpark.

HOW IT HAPPENED
-The PC offense blew up in the third, taking advantage of some uncharacteristic misses by Winthrop starter RHP Zach Peek, including a solo home run by junior Nick Guimbarda and a three-run homer by sophomore Tannor Byrd. The big inning gave the Blue Hose a 7-1 lead through three innings.

-Matthew Mulkey knocked an RBI double to deep center field in the bottom of the fifth to help spark the Eagles' comeback, making it a 7-3 score. Mitch Spires continued the fifth-inning momentum shift with a two-RBI triple to cut the PC lead to 7-5.

-Winthrop turned the game on its head with a monster nine-run seventh inning, surpassing in one inning the squad's previous season-high for runs scored in a game (8). Tyler Halstead opened the floodgates with an RBI-single, with runners advancing on a PC error. Jake Sullivan hit just this third double of the season for two RBI, followed by an RBI single by Alex Raines to bring him home. Matthew Mulkey and Cale Gibson each knocked two-RBI home runs. Remarkably, all nine runs were scored with two outs on the board.

NOTABLES
-The Eagles' nine runs in the seventh inning surpassed the most runs the squad has scored in an entire game this season; the previous high was eight runs. Fifteen runs is a new season-high for runs scored.

-All nine runs scored by the Eagles in the seventh inning were put on the board with two outs.

-Junior outfielder Matthew Mulkey was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI, including a double and a home run. Mulkey leads the Eagles in RBI (14) and home runs (4) on the season.
 
UP NEXT
Game 2 of the series between Winthrop and PC is set for Saturday at 3 p.m. Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with us with the "It's Your Lucky Inning" promotion. Fans will receive a raffle ticket upon entry, and prizes will be given away every inning. First pitch for the series finale on Sunday is set for 2 p.m.