BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Winthrop baseball (23-26, 14-9 Big South Conference) bounced back from Friday's series opening defeat with a 5-1 victory over league-leading Campbell (28-21, 18-5 Big South Conference) in game two of the series Saturday afternoon. The two squads took a 1-1 tie into the 8^th inning before the Eagles broke the stalemate with a four-run outburst.

HOW IT HAPPENED
-Winthrop got on the board in the 1^st inning, taking full advantage of Jake Sullivan getting on base on a walk as Mitch Spires tripled down the right field line and brought Sullivan home for the score.  

-Winthrop did not allow a Campbell hit until the bottom of the 3^rd, a solo homer by Matthew Barefoot to tie the game at 1-1. It would be the Camels' only score of the game.

-The Camels loaded the bases in the 4^th with two outs, but Winthrop escaped the jam as Kyle Mehl was caught attempting to steal home. On an 0-2 count to Luis Gimenez, an alert Zach Peek zapped the ball to Ryan Watson at the plate for the tagged out.

-Winthrop had runners on first and second in the 7^th, but a double play ended the scoring threat.

-Fortunes changed for Winthrop in the 8^th. Scout McFalls got on with a walk and a Sullivan groundout advanced him to second. Campbell intentionally walked leading Winthrop hitter Mitch Spires, but senior Tyler Halstead took advantage with an RBI single to right, scoring McFalls and advancing Spires to third. Dillon Morton followed suit with another RBI single scoring Spires and advancing Halstead to third, extending the lead to 3-1. Cale Gibson got on base on a throwing error, then advanced to second, moving Morton to third and scoring Halstead. Hunter Lipscomb pushed the lead to 5-1 with a single RBI to score Morton.

-The Camels went down in order in the 8^th, courtesy of two Peek strikeouts and a foul out to left.

-Peek recorded two outs to start the 9^th, but two baserunners got on for the Camels with a hit-by-pitch and a single.

-Dalton Whitaker came in to record the final out, loading the bases on a hit-by-pitch before Gimenez sent a popup to Halstead for the final out preserving the Eagles' win.

NOTABLES
-Senior Mitch Spires continued his hitting streak, extending it to 13-straight games. Spires has reached base in a team-high 21-consecutive games. Spires' 1^st-inning triple brought his team-high total to four.  

-Senior Tyler Halstead was 2-for-4 on the day with one RBI, marking his 12^th multiple-hit game of the season.  

-RHP Zach Peek went 8.2 innings allowing just one run on seven hits and recording six strikeouts.

-RHP Dalton Whitaker recorded his fourth save of the season preserving the 5-1 lead in the 9^th.

UP NEXT
The rubber game of the series is set for Sunday at 2 p.m.