WINTHROP POWERS PAST FURMAN 11-6
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Tommy Lentz went 3-for-5 and drove in four runs to lead Winthrop to an 11-6 win over Furman in baseball action Wednesday night at Furman Stadium.
Lentz, a freshman center fielder from nearby Mauldin, S.C., belted a two-run home run in the eighth inning and came back with a two-run single as part of three-run ninth to help Winthrop (17-12) to their third straight victory. Matt Repec added a two-run home run and three RBI in the Eagles’ 13-hit attack.
Dominic Franchini went 3-for-5 with three RBI to lead Furman (10-17), and Derek Norman had two hits for the Paladins, including his second home run of the season.
Winthrop starting pitcher Thomas Olejniczak (2-0) earned the victory after working four innings and yielding three hits and one run.
Case Cassedy (0-4) absorbed the loss after yielding two earned runs, five hits, and pair of walks over three innings. Furman’s pitching staff issued six walks in the contest.
Furman opened the scoring in the first when Craig Caudill singled with one out, advanced to second on a groundout, and came home on Dominc Franchini’s single to center field.
The Paladins’ lead was short lived, however, as Winthrop tallied a pair of runs in the second on Repec’s two-run home run to center off Cassedy.
The Eagles made it 3-1 in the third. With two outs, Daniel Carte walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third on David Scoggins’ infield single. Carter then came home on Furman catcher Derek Norman’s errant throw to second base in front of a stealing Scoggins.
Winthrop extended its advantage to 4-1 in the fourth on Chris Carrara’s RBI infield single off Paladin reliever Matt Klinker, and an inning later Repec drove in his third run of the contest with a single to right field.
Matthew Betsill’s RBI single in the sixth made it 5-2, but Winthrop answered with a run in the seventh and two in the eighth for an 8-2 lead on Tommy Lentz’s two-run home run to left off Paladin reliever Matt Hollstegge.
The Eagles finished off their offensive onslaught contest with three unearned runs in the ninth inning, including a two-run single by Lentz.
Furman returns to action on Friday at 7:00 p.m. when it travels to Cullowhee, N.C., to open a three-game Southern Conference series against Western Carolina.
Winthrop will entertain Liberty in Rock Hill on Friday in a 7:30 p.m. game.