Box Score Box Score
ROCK HILL, SC – The Winthrop baseball team dropped its fourth consecutive decision on Wednesday evening with a 6-3 defeat to the College of Charleston Cougars at The Winthrop Ballpark.
The Eagles fall to 1-12 on the season, while the Cougars improve to 9-3 overall.
Ryan West (2-0) earned the win tossing 7.0 innings and gave up three runs on four hits, two walks and eight strikeouts.
Preston Johnson (0-3) took the loss surrendering four runs on six hits, four walks and four strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work.
Brandon Murray gave College of Charleston a 1-0 lead with one out in the top of the first on his second home run of the season to right center field. The Cougars added to their lead at 2-0 with one run in the top of the third on Cody Martin's RBI double that landed just inside the left field foul line. Marty Gantt scored on the double after reaching on a one-out single to left field, and then stole both second and third base.
Winthrop made it a 2-1 game in the bottom of the third when
Leighton Daniels scored from third on a throwing error by College of Charleston catcher Jimmy Holton. Holton was attempting to pick Daniels off at third base after a pitch from West, but the ball hit off Daniels' back and rolled towards second base. Daniels led off the Eagles third inning with a walk, and advanced to third after a bunt single from
Drew Hardee and
Patrick Gamblin's sacrifice bunt.
The Cougars extended their lead to 4-1 with two runs in the fifth inning on an RBI double from Daniel Aldrich and Martin's RBI sacrifice fly to right field.
Matt Lobacz trimmed College of Charleston's lead to one run at 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth on his two RBI double off the right field wall scoring Gamblin and
Jason Driver. Gamblin led off the sixth with a double down the left field line, and Driver walked in the next at-bat.
The Cougars went up two runs at 5-3 with one run in the top of the seventh, and added another run in the top of the ninth to make it a three-run game.
Aldrich recorded his second RBI of the game in the seventh on a RBI sacrifice fly to left field, and Rob Harding drove in Murray with an RBI single in the ninth.
Four different Winthrop hitters had one hit each in the contest, while Lobacz drove in a team-high two RBI. It is the second two RBI game in a row for Lobacz and he now has a team-high 10 RBI on the season. Gantt led the College of Charleston offense with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate, while Aldrich and Martin had two RBI each.
The Eagles will return to action on Friday, Mar. 9 as they will host Holy Cross in the first game of a three-game non-conference series. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
