WINTHROP 8, LIBERTY 7
The Winthrop baseball team scored eight runs early in the game and never looked back as it recorded another important conference win over Liberty 8-7 Sunday afternoon at The Winthrop Ballpark.  Liberty posed a real threat in the ninth inning as it had runners on second and third with two outs, but senior right-handed closer Josh McDonald held strong as he struck out David Giammaresi to pick up his fifth save of the year.  With the win, Winthrop’s overall record improves to 18-25 and the conference mark moves up to 8-7, while the Flames are now 22-22 on the season and 9-6 in Big South action.  The conference standings show a real dog fight for third place as the Eagles and High Point share the fourth spot with the same record one win behind third-place Liberty.

Freshman designated hitter Eddie Rohan and junior first baseman Eddie Tisdale had three hits in five at bats each to lead the Eagle batters.  Rohan, who became the rookie with the most home runs hit in one season since Daniel Carte’s 13 in 2003, had his eighth round tripper of the year to go along three RBI.  Junior second baseman Aaron Bonomi drove in three runs for a season high.  Senior lefty Ryan Mullins remains undefeated on the year as he picked up his fifth win as a starter. He worked 5.1 innings giving up four runs on seven hits, two walks and one strikeout.  Freshman right-hander Mike Ritson set things up for McDonald as he held the Eagle lead after pitching 2.2 innings allowing two runs on three hits, no walks, while fanning two Flames.  The Liberty offense was captained by Aaron Phillips, who posted three hits in four ABs, while Errol Hollinger hit a homer in the contest.  The loss was charged to lefty starter Ryan Page, who pitched 5.0 innings allowing eight runs, eight hits, two walks and striking out three.

Liberty took an early lead as it got two runs in the first frame.  Kenneth Negron was given a leadoff walk and P.K. Keller sent him to third via the single.  Keller would reach second on the throw to third and Giammaresi’s fly ball was deep enough to plate Negron.  Keller then advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a double by Cody Brown.  After the two runs given up in the first frame, the Eagles went on a tear scoring eight runs in the next three innings.  With one out in the second, Tisdale bunted his way on and advanced to second on a throwing error by Page.  Freshman outfielder Tony Brunetti was next as he got an infield single to the shortstop, which did not allow Tisdale to move.  Freshman outfielder Bennett Jordan’s single left the bases loaded for Bonomi, who plated Tisdale on a sacrifice fly.  After sophomore outfielder Tyler McBride got hit by a pitch, the bases were juiced again, this time for Henderson, who didn’t even swing the bat to get the RBI as he saw five pitches to get the walk.

The Eagles took the lead after the four runs produced in the third inning.  Rohan got a one-out bases empty big fly, then Tisdale singled, Brunetti walked and Jordan singled leaving the bases loaded for Bonomi once again.  The Aussie then came up with a single that bounced over the first baseman’s head to score Tisdale and Brunetti advancing Jordan to third.  McBride’s suicide squeeze bunt was perfectly executed as Jordan crossed home plate.  Winthrop sat on an 8-2 lead after the conclusion of the fourth inning.  Senior catcher Billy Froehlich led off with a single and advanced to second behind a single by sophomore shortstop Kevin Nolan.  Rohan then scored both runners on a hard-hit double to left center.  Liberty started a slow come back in the fifth with one run scored.  Joseph Feeley singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Phillips then doubled to score the runner.  The Flames reduced the margin to 8-4 with a run scored in the sixth.  Brown got a one-out double, moved over to third on a single by Garrett Young and went home on a fielder’s choice groundout by Aaron Grijalva.  This got closer in the seventh after Liberty plated two runs in the seventh leaving the board at 8-6 Winthrop.  Philips led off with a double and Hollinger hit a two-run homer.

The dramatic ninth inning started with McDonald on the mound to close the door for the Eagles, however, after Jason Love struck out, Phillips and Jeff Jefferson singled.  Hollinger then flied out to advance Philips to third and Keller singled to score him advancing Jefferson to third.  Keller also advanced to second on the throw in the same play.  As switch hitter Giammaresi was up with first base open, McDonald’s first intentional ball than sailed way high over Froehlich’s head, but hit the brick wall not allowing the Flame runners to move.  McDonald then pitched to Giammaresi, who was fanned swinging on a 3-2 count.

#15 COASTAL CAROLINA 3-12, VMI 4-1
The 15th-ranked Coastal Carolina University baseball team (36-9, 12-3 Big South) split a doubleheader with VMI (22-22, 11-7 Big South) April 28 at Gray-Minor Stadium.  Coastal fell in game one 4-3 in the Keydets’ last at-bat, while Coastal pounded out 13 hits and received 7.1 strong innings from sophomore Nick McCully to defeat VMI 12-1 in game two.  Shane Geisslinger scored Jordan Hess with a single in the bottom of the ninth in game one as the Keydets won 4-3.
 
Coastal would score a run in the second, but VMI got out of a big jam to hold the Chanticleers to the single tally.  Junior Tyler Bortnick singled to left with one out.  VMI’s Michael Bowman would then walk the next three batters, as freshman Scott Woodward’s free pass brought Bortnick home.  Junior David Sappelt then lined a bullet to Jordan Ballard, who doubled up Woodward to end the inning.  Ballard would come back in the bottom of the frame and hit his ninth home run of the season to tie the game at one.  VMI plated two runs with two outs in the third.  Sam Roberts doubled down the left field line and came home on brother Mike’s home run off the light pole in left field.  In the top of the fourth, Bortnick walked with one out.  He moved to second on a single from freshman Rico Noel.  Woodward then reached on a fielding error from Bowman, loading the bases.  Sappelt would walk to force in a run and cut the Keydet lead to 3-2.  Junior David Anderson led off the fifth inning with a home run to straightaway center field, tying the game at three.
 
Coastal got out of a big jam in the seventh.  A.J. Yoder led the inning off with a single over Woodward’s head.  He stole second as senior Joey Haug struck out Jordan Hess.  With two out, Haug hit Shane Geisslinger and walked Sam Roberts.  Junior Pete Andrelczyk then came in and struck out Mike Roberts to end the threat.  Senior Tommy Baldridge doubled with two outs and sophomore Adam Rice singled to move Baldridge over to third in the ninth, but the Keydets would get out of the jam.  In the bottom of the ninth, Yoder reached on a Noel error to open the frame.  Jordan Hess would reach on a fielder’s choice as junior Dock Doyle threw out Yoder at second.  Justin Topping came up with the big hit as he singled to right, moving Hess to third and setting up Geisslinger’s heroics.  Travis Smink improved to 2-0 with the win, striking out a batter in two innings.  Bowman allowed seven hits and two earned runs in seven innings.  He walked six and struck out three.  Andrelczyk fell to 4-1 on the year, striking out a pair and allowing an unearned run in 1.2 innings.  Haug went the first 6.1 innings, giving up five hits and three runs while striking out four.  Rice and Bortnick had two hits apiece for the Chanticleers.  For VMI, Mike Roberts had two hits and two RBI.  The loss snapped a nine-game road winning streak by the Chants.
 
Coastal opened game two by scoring two runs in the first. Smink hit Woodward with one out.  With two away, Doyle hit a grounder to Yoder, who’s error put two runners on.  Rice singled to short to load the bases and Baldridge brought in a pair with a single to right.  Woodward then belted a three-run home run in the top of the second, scoring Noel and Sappelt, who singled earlier in the inning.  Evan Noell scored Baldridge with a single to left, giving Coastal a 6-0 lead in the third inning. VMI’s Tanner Biagini hit his seventh home run of the season in the bottom of the fourth, cutting the Chant advantage to 6-1.  Doyle walked to open the top of the eighth.  He went to second on a Rice sacrifice bunt and scored on a double from Baldridge, giving Coastal a 7-1 lead.  Coastal broke the game open with five runs in the ninth.  Sappelt doubled down the left field line to open the inning.  After Woodward walked, Anderson singled home Sappelt.  Doyle doubled to bring in Woodward.  Sophomore Chance Gilmore doubled to left center to score Anderson and Doyle.  Senior Derek Martin doubled, bringing in Gilmore for an 11-run advantage.
 
McCully struck out four, allowing six hits and one run with one walk.  The loss went to Smink, who went 1-1 on the day. He gave up seven hits and four earned runs in 2.2 innings.  Baldridge went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI, while Woodward scored and drove in three runs.  For VMI, Biagini had three hits.
 
UNC ASHEVILLE 15, RADFORD 6
An eight run seventh inning highlighted a 15-run, 22-hit outburst as UNC Asheville took its first Big South Conference series of the season with a 15-6 victory at Radford on Sunday afternoon.  The 15 runs were the second highest total of the season for Asheville (20-28, 4-11 Big South) who scored 26 runs in the series after being shutout on Friday afternoon.  Every Bulldog starter had at least one hit, one RBI, and scored at least one run on Sunday.  Reed Kreiser had his second four-hit game of the season going 4-for-6 with RBI and a run scored.  Kevin Mattison had his first four hit game going 4-for-6 with two RBI and three runs scored.  Kevin Weidenbacher, Justin Schumer, and Danny Baatz each had three hits while Elliott Arrington drove in four runs on the afternoon

The Bulldogs jumped out in front with two runs in the first inning.  Mattison led-off the game with a single.  Schumer doubled down the right field line to plate Mattison.  Kreiser singled home Schumer to give Graham Baughn a lead before he went to the mound.  Baughn did not factor in a decision going 4.1 innings allowing three runs on six hits.  Greer Harrington (1-2) earned his first collegiate win going 2.2 innings allowing just one hit.  Ben Buchanan pitched a perfect eighth inning and Dillon Waters threw the ninth for Asheville.  Schumer’s second double of the game got the Dogs going in the third inning. Kreiser singled moving Schumer to third where he would score on a fielder’s choice to put Asheville up 3-0.  Baatz hit his fifth home run of the season and his second of the weekend with Schumer aboard in the fifth inning to take the score to 5-0.

Radford (17-26, 4-11 Big South) got on the board with three runs in the bottom of the fifth, highlighted by a two run home run by Jonathan Spears.  It was his second homer of the year.  Nick Minter also had a RBI single in the inning.  Asheville opened the game up scoring 10 runs over the next two innings.  In the sixth, Mike Vaughn led off with a single and was sacrificed to second base.  Mattison doubled home Vaughn and then scored on a RBI single by Weidenbacher to make the score 7-3.  Baatz and Beau Zinman opened up the eight run seventh with back-to-back hits.  They were sacrificed to second and third where Baatz scored on a RBI single by Catlin Carter.  Zinman then scored on a passed ball and Carter came around on a RBI single by Mattison.  After a Weidenbacher single and a walk to Schumer loaded the bases, Kreiser had a RBI single in front of a two RBI hit by Arrington.  Baatz’s second hit of the inning reloaded the bases.  Zinman walked to plate Kreiser and Vaughn’s sacrifice fly scored Arrington to make the score 15-3.

Radford scored three runs in the ninth inning all after two were out.  Mario Duarte hit a two run home run.  After an error, Reggie Keen had a RBI single to bring the final score to 15-6.  Radford starter Adam Hoyt took the loss and dropped to 3-4 on the season.