ROCK HILL, S.C.? VMI sophomore Michael Bowman was tagged with his first loss of the season as Winthrop rallied with three runs in the eighth inning to come back and score a 4-2 victory in game two of the Big South Conference series on Saturday afternoon at the Winthrop Ballpark. The win improves the Eagles' record to 15-13 overall and 2-0 in Big South play, while VMI falls to 17-6 overall and 3-2 in League games.
Bowman (4-1) allowed only two hits and one run through his first seven innings of work, as he came out to pitch the eighth inning for the first time in his collegiate career. Trouble immediately ensued, as the righthander walked the leadoff man, Kevin Nolan, gave up a sacrifice hit, then saw Chris Carrara reach base on an infield single to put runners at the corners. Bryn Henderson then knotted the game at two with a sacrifice fly into rightfield, while Billy Froehlich gave the Eagles a 3-2 lead when Carrara scored all the way from first base on a rightfield-single. The Eagles wrapped up the scoring as Louis Ullrich plated Froehlich with another base hit, this one into centerfield to bring the score to 4-2, the same tally as last night's Winthrop win.
In the end, Bowman was tagged with only five hits and four runs, working a career-best eight innings, striking out six while walking only three. Meanwhile, the Keydets were able to scratch out only a pair of runs off of WU starter Jason Franzblau, who worked 6.1 innings, allowing five hits while striking out three. Sophomore Eddie Van Es knotted the game at one with his third homerun of the season in the fifth inning, while Tanner Biagini came around to give the Keydets a 2-1 advantage in the sixth, scoring on a double by Thane Smith to deep centerfield. But the Keydets came up empty despite putting baserunners on in each of the final three innings off of reliever Ryan Mullins (4-3), and Jason Settle.
“I thought Michael Bowman threw a great game today,” said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry. “He was on cruise control headed into the eighth inning, and had only thrown 75 pitches up to that point. But Winthrop had a great approach and was able to make some things happen in the eighth inning, and they showed once again that they have a good ballclub. Now we just have to come back out tomorrow and get the job done.”
Each club was able to post only five hits on the afternoon, with Van Es collecting the only multiple-hit outing of the game with his game-tying roundtripper and seventh-inning double. Mullins earned the win by working 2.1 innings, allowing only a walk and a hit batsman, while Settle struck out the only batter he faced to collect his third save of the season.
The Eagles grabbed an early lead for the second straight day, this time on a sacrifice fly by Chris Carrara in the third inning following a leadoff double from Nolan. That came as the Keydets saw three runners thrown out on the basepaths in three consecutive innings, as Van Es was picked off at first base in the second inning, Justin Hess was thrown out trying to advance on a groundout for a double play, and A.J. Yoder was caught stealing after a pitch got away from WU catcher Jayson Hernandez.
After grabbing the lead with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, Van Es's double to leadoff the seventh went for naught, as a pair of groundouts and a sharply hit line drive by Jacoby Fields was snagged by Eddie Tisdale at first base, keeping the score at 2-1. The Keydets then saw another opportunity to score an insurance run in the eighth inning dashed as Thane Smith was picked off of first base, leading to the Eagles' rally in the bottom of the frame.
The Keydets and Eagles will go back at it on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch slated for 2 p.m. at the Winthrop Ballpark. VMI will send to the hill freshman righthander Chris Duty (3-0, 1.80 ERA) to oppose WU junior righthander Josh McDonald (2-1, 3.29 ERA).
