Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 FAIRFAX, VA - Winthrop and George Mason played to a split of two contests on Saturday afternoon at Spuhler Field. The Eagles hung on to win the suspended Friday game by a 7-4 score, and then George Mason rebounded to win the originally scheduled game 6-2 to give the Patriots their first win of the season (1-11). Winthrop is now 10-3 on the year after the Saturday split. 

GAME ONE

Winthrop and George Mason traded scoreless innings for the first three frames before the Eagles got on the board in the top of the fourth inning. With runners on first and third, an errant throw on a pickoff attempt to first base allowed Spencer Yankle to dash home ahead of the throw to give Winthrop a 1-0 lead. 

After George Mason responded with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Eagles punched back with four of their own in the top of the fifth after the game was delayed 58 minutes by lightning. Drake Smith, Luke Hannum and Andrew Jenner all reached to start the inning (Smith and Jenner on errors), which set up Scout McFalls with the bases loaded and nobody out. McFalls walked to force in a run and give Winthrop a 2-1 lead, and the game was promptly stopped due to a lightning strike close to the field. After a 58 minute stoppage, Spencer Yankle stepped to the plate and on the second pitch of the at bat ripped a double down the left field line, scoring all three runners and giving Winthrop a 5-1 fifth inning lead. 

George Mason came back to score three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to cut the deficit to 5-4, and after a scoreless sixth inning Winthrop scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning to make it a 7-4 game. With Andrew Jenner on third and Scout McFalls on second with two outs, Ethan Fewell reached on an error to score Jenner and then CJ Conrad singled to left field to score McFalls to push the Winthrop lead to three, which the Eagles would hold onto for the rest of the game. 

Willie Lumpkin got the start on the mound in game one for the Eagles and logged 4.1 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits before giving way to Jason Crumley who came on and limited the damage by getting the final two outs of the fifth inning. Crumley logged 2.2 innings of key relief without allowing a run and was the winning pitcher for the Eagles in the series opener (2-0 on the season). 

Following the suspension, Dalton Mims came out on Saturday afternoon and took the ball for the eighth inning and tossed 1.1 innings of shutout ball before giving way to Colten Rendon with runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. Rendon got a lineout and a flyout to right to end the game, securing his fourth save of the season. 

GAME TWO

Daniel Blair got the start for the Eagles in game two and gave up three runs in the first inning, as the Eagles played from behind from start to finish. Blair tossed shutout innings in the second and third innings before allowing an unearned run in the fourth, as the redshirt sophomore right-hander exited after four innings with the Eagles trailing 4-0. 

Macklin Ohs came on after Blair and was impressive in relief, tossing 2.2 innings of two run (one earned) ball, striking out five and allowing only two hits. Bryan Petta came on with two outs in the seventh inning and allowed one hit which allowed an inherited runner to score, striking out one batter. 

The Eagles' only run-scoring offense of game two came in the top of the sixth inning when Spencer Yankle hammered a two-run home run to center field for his first of the season. 

UP NEXT: The Eagles hand the ball to sophomore Tyler Jones for the rubber match on Sunday, which is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch at Spuhler Field. 

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