ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Presbyterian College baseball team held a 1-0 lead for six innings before Winthrop scored three runs in the seventh en route to a 3-1 Eagles lead at the Winthrop Ballpark on Friday afternoon.
PC moves to 13-10 and 3-1 in the Big South while Winthrop improves to 7-14 overall and 1-0 in league play. The two teams will meet for a doubleheader on Saturday at 2 p.m., rescheduled from games on Saturday and Sunday due to the threat of rain.
Beau Dees (Blenheim, S.C.) took a loss despite a solid night on the mound. The sophomore lefthander allowed only three runs—one earned—and four hits in seven innings while striking out four and walking one. Dees moves to 3-2 on the season. Michael Ricchi (McKinney, Texas) pitched one inning of hitless ball in the eighth.
Winthrop's Matt Pierpont threw a complete game to move to 2-3. The Blue Hose tagged the pitcher for eight hits but could only score one run.
Brad Zebedis (Rock Hill, S.C.) and Cam McRae (Darlington, S.C.) each went 2-for-4 on the day while Brandon Paul (Augusta, Ga.) drove in the team's lone run.
PC struck first by scoring in the opening inning. Zebedis laced a two-out double to left center and Paul obliged with a double down the left field line to score the junior first baseman and put PC ahead, 1-0.
Winthrop stranded two in the second before four full innings passed with only one hit between the two sides.
The Blue Hose put two on in the second but could not convert. PC used singles from Aaron Preston (Goose Creek, S.C.) and Ryan Hagan (Sugar Hill, Ga.) to place runners on the corners with only one out. A groundout and a pop fly ended PC's scoring chance, however, and the Blue Hose took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
Winthrop broke through in the seventh, taking advantage of two hits and an error to take the 3-1 lead. A double tied the game before an outfield error gave the Eagles the lead they would take for the win.
PC came up with one hit each in the eighth and ninth innings but was unable to tie. The result marks the team's first loss when leading after six innings, breaking a nine-game winning streak.
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Presbyterian College 100 000 000 - 1 8 1 (13-10, 3-1)
Winthrop University. 000 000 30X - 3 4 0 (7-14, 1-0)
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Pitchers: Presbyterian College - DEES, Beau; RICCHI, Michael(8) and . Winthrop University - PIERPONT, M. and .
Win-PIERPONT, M.(2-3) Loss-DEES, Beau(3-2) T-2:05 A-289
Weather: Low 50's Cloudy
