FARMVILLE, VA - Winthrop won its sixth straight game overall and fourth straight contest to open Big South play on Friday night, beating Longwood 12-4 at Buddy Bolding Stadium. The Eagles are now 12-9 on the year and 4-0 in Big South play, and with the loss Longwood falls to 7-14 and 2-2 in conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Winthrop was paced with
Zach Peek's pitching performance on Friday night, as the Junior worked his way into the sixth inning of the ballgame. Peek went 5.2 innings on the mound, allowing only four Longwood hits and one run (unearned) while striking out eight and walking three. Peek was the winning pitcher on Friday for the Eagles, earning his third win to go to 3-1 on the season.
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Jason Crumley came out of the bullpen to relieve Peek and was shaky in his appearance, allowing three earned runs on three hits in 1.1 innings of work. Crumley struck out three and walked one on Friday.
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Colten Rendon and
Dalton Whitaker each threw scoreless innings to close out the ballgame for the Eagles, with Rendon striking out one batter.
- Offensively, the Eagles pounded out 12 runs on 15 hits and were greatly aided by seven Longwood errors. Only five of the 12 Winthrop runs scored were earned runs to Longwood pitching.
- In the top of the first, A
Spencer Yankle RBI single scored
Scout McFalls to open the scoring and later in the inning
Matthew Mulkey reached on an error which allowed Yankle to cross the plate for the Eagles' second run.
- Wintrop got single runs in the fourth and the fifth innings and then two more in the sixth to take what was then a 6-1 lead.
Scout McFalls drove in
Brandon Fite in the top of the fourth, and
Matthew Mulkey drove in
Grant English in the fifth with an infield single combined with a throwing error. In the sixth,
Alex Raines drove in
Brandon Fite with an RBI single and
Hunter Lipscomb reached on an error, bringing around McFalls to score.
- After Longwood scored three times in the bottom of the seventh to cut the Winthrop lead to 6-4, the Eagles roared back with three runs in the top of the eighth and three more in the ninth to put the game firmly out of reach.
Matthew Mulkey had four RBI in the final two innings, two coming on an eighth-inning double and two more on a single to left center field in the ninth inning.
NOTABLES
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Alex Raines and
Brandon Fite each recorded three-hit games on Friday for the Eagles. Raines went 3-6 with an RBI and 2 runs scored as the designated hitter on Friday, and Fite was 3-4 with 2 runs scored of his own.
UP NEXT: The Eagles turn to game two of the series and hand the ball to senior right hander
Nate Pawelczyk (4-1, 0.84 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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