Box Score Baseball Falls to Winthrop 6-4

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ROCK HILL, S.C. – The 10^th-ranked Coastal Carolina University baseball team (18-3, 3-1 Big South) dropped its first Big South Conference contest of the season, falling to Winthrop (13-7, 4-1 Big South) 6-4 March 21 in Rock Hill, S.C. Winthrop had three home runs on the day, including two in the eighth to break a four-all tie.   Senior David Anderson (Lexington, S.C./White Knoll) belted a home run to left field to lead off the second, giving the Chants a 1-0 lead. Winthrop then scored four runs with two outs in the bottom of the third. Matt Thielepape hit a one-out double. He would scored on a ground-rule double from Kevin Nolan. Senior Bobby Gagg (Hamburg, N.J./Wallkill) walked Cam Walters, and then Eddie Rohan hit Gagg’s first pitch over the wall in left field, making it 4-1 Winthrop.   The Chanticleers tied the game in the sixth, scoring three runs on three straight hits. Sophomore Rico Noel (Lawton, Okla./Lawton) doubled with one out. He scored on a single from classmate Scott Woodward (Markle, Ind./Norwell). Woodward would then trot home as senior Tyler Bortnick (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor) homered to left field, tying the game at four.   The game stayed tied at four until the bottom of the eighth, when Rohan hit his second home run of the day, this time to right center field, off junior Caleb Cuevas (Fletcher, N.C./Louisburg J.C.). Two batters later, John Murrian hit a home run to left off of junior Nick McCully (Lakeland, Fla./Santa Fe Catholic).   Coastal Carolina threatened in the ninth. Junior Jose Iglesias (Miami, Fla./St. John’s) opened the inning with a walk. Redshirt freshman Rich Witten (Danville, Ky./Danville) then traded places with freshman pinch runner Steve Davis (Steubenville, Ohio/Stuebenville) on a fielder’s choice. Freshman Taylor Motter (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Palm Beach Gardens) walked to put two runners on, but Eagle reliever Tyler Mizenko struck out Noel and got Woodward to line out to second base to end the game.   Mizenko earned the win in relief, pitching 1.1 innings of scoreless relief. Cuevas was tagged with the loss, while Gagg pitched the first six innings, giving up four hits and four runs while striking out three and walking two. Wade Newman went 6.1 innings for the Eagles, striking out six and giving up six hits and four runs.   Woodward had two hits for the Chanticleers, while Rohan was 2-for-4 with three RBI. Thielepape and Nolan had two hits apiece for Winthrop.   Coastal Carolina and Winthrop wrap up the three-game series Sunday, March 22 at 2 p.m., in Rock Hill, S.C.