Bucs Drop Early Lead to Eagles

ROCK HILL, SC- The Bucs dropped an early 1-0 lead to conference rival Winthrop on Friday evening by a final score of 10-4.  The loss moves the Bucs to 12-18 on the season and 7-5 in conference play, while the Eagles advance to 17-10 on the season and 7-3 in league play. 

The Bucs tallied a total of 9 hits, but the eagles would outdo with 13, while each team left seven stranded on base.  Bucs’ opener Anthony Markham (1-3) would tally the loss after facing 30 batters in 5.1 innings of work.  The Eagles’ Wade Newman would tally the win in 5.2 innings of work, while giving up eight hits and all four Buccaneer runs. 

The Bucs’ four runs came from three players, right fielder Tyler Thornburg who tallied two, while Scotty Radabaugh and first baseman Nick Chinners accounted for the other two.   

The Bucs were quick to jump in the lead taking a 2-0 lead before the Eagles would tally a run in the bottom of the third.  The Buccaneer’s first run came in the second on an RBI single to center field from senior Brantley Meier to cross fellow senior Tyler Thornburg.  The Bucs would follow with a run in the third from Scotty Radabaugh who crossed on a sacrifice fly from first baseman Nick Chinners to give the Bucs a 2-0 advantage.

 That advantage would not last long however, as the Eagles crossed seven on seven hits in the bottom of the inning.  Two of the seven Eagle runs in the seventh came as unearned runs after a Buccaneer error in the infield, but the mishap would be more than the Bucs could overcome as the eagles help the lead the remainder of the game adding a solo run in the fourth and two in the sixth.

 The Bucs would battle however, looking to come back, adding runs in the fourth and sixth themselves.  Thornburg would score his second run of the game taking advantage of an error on the Eagles’ short stop in the fourth.  The Bucs would have big chances in the sixth but leave three stranded after crossing Chinners for the fourth run of the game.  Meier tallied the sacrifice fly RBI for Chinners, but three were left as the Eagle pitcher was able to retire the last Buc looking.

 The Bucs will return to the field tomorrow looking to even the series.  First pitch is slated for 4:00 p.m. in the second of a three game series.