There was no joy in Rock Hill as the mighty Eagles struck out Saturday, losing 4-1 to Appalachian State in their first game of the season, and dropping another to the Mountaineers later that afternoon, 4-0.
An 0-2 start to the season is likely not what the Eagles had in mind after ranking 40th in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s preseason poll, especially given that their opponent did not earn a spot among the top 50 teams.
Sunday’s contest provided a much better start for Winthrop however. Though the Eagles allowed one run to score in the top of the first inning, they brought home five runs of their own in the bottom of the inning.
Senior Joe McNamara got the scoring started for the Eagles with a solo homerun to left field. Winthrop collected three more hits during the inning, including a 2 RBI-double from sophomore Jonathan Strauss and an RBI-single by junior Joey Tepper.
Winthrop’s early 5-1 lead quickly faded when the Mountaineers added two runs to their total in the second inning, and two more in the third.
With the game tied at 5 runs each, the Eagles called freshman Reese Lumpkin to the mound. Lumpkin faced eight straight batters without allowing a runner on base, which let Winthrop regain the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning.
With runners in scoring position, the reliable catcher Spencer Yankle stepped up to the plate and dropped a single into center field, scoring one and giving Winthrop a 6-5 advantage. This lead, once again, did not hold for long.
The Mountaineers scored three more in the top of the sixth inning, putting the Eagles down by two. Winthrop’s Garrett Gainey relieved Reese Lumpkin, retiring two batters to leave two runners stranded on base for App State.
The Eagles returned fire on offense, as Tepper singled for the second time and redshirt senior Tyler Baker smashed a two-run homer, tying the game at 8-8.
It looked as though the Mountaineers might collect their third win on the weekend when they scored their ninth run of the game in the top of the seventh, and Winthrop didn’t answer in the bottom of the inning or the next. Still, the Eagles only trailed by one heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Winthrop’s McNamara started a last-chance rally for the Eagles, leading off with a single. He made it to second base on a ground out by freshman Andrew Jenner.
With the tying run on second, the Mountaineers pitched four straight balls to Scout McFalls to give the veteran a free base. A double from Winthrop’s Yankle moved McFalls to third and scored McNamara to tie the game.
After an intentional walk that loaded the bases, Winthrop’s Strauss stepped into the batter’s box with only one out and the winning run standing 90 feet away. With a swing of the bat, the outfielder launched a single down the left field line, and the Eagles earned a 10-9 walk-off victory.
Winthrop is set to host Towson University next for a three-game series on Feb. 26 and 27. While the ballpark is currently open to just family members of the teams playing, an announcement is expected to come soon regarding tickets for the general public.
If fans are not allowed to attend the Towson series, their next chance would be March 2, when the Eagles host the South Carolina Gamecocks for the first time in school history.
