Diamond 'Dogs Season Comes To End In 4-3 Loss To Winthrop In Big South Tourney
May 26, 2010 | Baseball
ROCK HILL, S.C. - Gardner-Webb rallied for three runs in the
seventh and eighth innings Tuesday, and had the tying run on board
in the ninth, but fell, 4-3, to No. 5 seed Winthrop in the first
round of the Royal Purple Big South Conference Baseball
Championship.
Gardner-Webb (25-30) saw its season come to a close with the loss,
which was the first for GWU against Winthrop in four tries this
season.
"We have no regrets," said GWU head coach Rusty Stroupe. "Both
teams played a very good baseball game tonight. Winthrop got the
best of us. We played four very competitive games this season
[against Winthrop], and tonight was one of those."
Chas Crane hit a solo home run and Matteo D'Angelo allowed one run
in six innings for Winthrop (26-28), which will now face the
nation's 4th ranked team at 11 am on Wednesday morning in Coastal
Carolina (47-7).
Winthrop took the first lead of the game in the bottom of the
first. Sean Sullivan reached on an error by GWU third baseman Kurt
Fulginiti, and later scored on Crane's deep sacrifice to right
field to put the Eagles up 1-0. Crane made it 2-0 in the bottom of
the third with his 12th home run of the season.
The Diamond 'Dogs threatened in the fifth and sixth innings. In the
fifth, Ty Boyles reached on an error by Crane to open the inning
and later moved to second on Benji Jackson's two-out single to
center. D'Angelo, who held Gardner-Webb scoreless the first four
innings, hit Daniel Merck with a pitch to load the bases, but then
induced Adam McFarland to fly out to center to end the inning. In
the sixth, Jake Watts reached on a one-out walk and moved to second
on Aaron Miller's single to right. D'Angelo got out of the jam by
striking out Boyles and getting Josh Drewery to fly out to escape
any damage.
The Eagles moved ahead 4-0 in the bottom of the sixth when Crane
doubled and later scored on Matt Pierpont's single to center that
loaded the bases. Adam Gliebe was hit-by-pitch to bring in the
fourth run. Gardner-Webb finally cracked the scoreboard in the top
of the seventh, and eventually chased D'Angelo after O.J. McFarland
singled to open the inning and moved to third on Jackson's double
to the gap in left center. Tyler Mizenko replaced D'Angelo with no
outs, and while allowing a ground out that scored pinch runner Matt
Sapp, he struck out Adam McFarland and got Kurt Fulginiti to ground
out back to the mound to end the inning.
But the Runnin' Bulldogs made it 4-3 in the eighth inning on
Drewery's 2-run home run to left that scored Miller, who had
reached on a one-out single earlier in the inning. It was Drewery's
11th home run of the year. Mizenko got three ground outs in the
ninth inning to preserve the win.
D'Angelo (8-5) picked up the win. He officially went six innings,
allowing six hits and one run with two walks and five strikeouts.
Mizenko earned his sixth save of the season after throwing three
innings. It was his 20th career save, tying the Winthrop record and
becoming the sixth pitcher in Big South history to reach the
milestone. Crane, Pierpont and Gliebe finished with two hits for
the Eagles.
Michael Hanzlik (4-4) suffered the loss for GWU. He allowed three
runs (two earned) on six hits in five innings. Miller, Drewery and
Jackson led the Runnin' Bulldogs with two hits each.
