University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Liberty vs. Winthrop
05.24.2009 | Baseball
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#2 Winthrop Advances to Championship Game with 6-1 Win Over #3 Liberty |  |
ASHEVILLE, N.C. ? Winthrop pitcher Robert Lake stymied No. 3 seed Liberty with a complete game effort and pitched the No. 2 seeded-Eagles into the Big South Conference Championship game as Winthrop defeated the Flames, 6-1, in game 10 of the 2009 Royal Purple Big South Baseball Championship, May 23 at historic McCormick Field in Asheville, N.C. With the victory, Winthrop improves to 35-24 and faces No. 1 seed Coastal Carolina at 3:50pm later this afternoon in the Conference Championship game. Liberty (33-21) is eliminated from the tournament with the loss.
Lake was masterful is tossing the Eagles' first complete game of the season. He scattered six hits in nine innings, recorded four 1-2-3 innings, and retired nine consecutive hitters early in the ballgame. Lake fanned five batters and did not walk a hitter to improve to 6-3 on the season.
Winthrop grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Eddie Rohan opened the frame with a double down the right field line, and later scored on Sean Sullivan's two-out double to left. The Eagles then chased Liberty starter Cody Brown with five runs in the bottom of the third. Kevin Nolan singled with one out, stole second base and reached third on the catcher's throwing error. Nolan got caught in a rundown at home plate on Bryn Henderson's fielder's choice, but it was long enough to allow Henderson to reach second base. The next batter, Eddie Tisdale, singled home Henderson. Eddie Rohan then walked, and Matt Thielepape singled up the middle off new Liberty pitcher Steven Evans to score Tisdale for a 3-0 advantage. Rohan would later score on an error, and Sullivan concluded the rally with a two-run single to put Winthrop up 6-0.
Liberty's Jeff Jefferson kept Winthrop off the bases in the fourth inning when he made a diving catch on Cam Walters' sinking popup in shallow left, then ran down Tisdale's pop fly in foul territory with a diving stab to end the inning.
Liberty's scoreless inning streak reached 16.2 before Matt Williams singled home P.J. Jimenez with the Flames' first run since the final frame against High Point on Thursday night. Jimenez doubled with two outs in the eighth inning to get into scoring position for the Flames.
Sullivan was 3-4 with three RBI for Winthrop, while Nolan and Tisdale added two hits each. For Liberty, Errol Hollinger had two of Liberty's six hits. Brown suffered the loss to drop to 2-4. The game lasted just 1:55.
Winthrop will make its first appearance in the Big South title game since 2005, and its eighth overall. The Eagles' last Big South tournament title was the same year, and it came against Coastal Carolina. Winthrop is looking for its fifth tournament crown overall, having won in 1985, 1987, 1999 and 2005. Winthrop will face Coastal Carolina in the championship game for the first time since 2005, which the Eagles won, 13-7, and sixth time overall. Winthrop is 2-3 against the Chanticleers in Big South Championship games, winning in 1999 and 2005.
The Eagles also are looking to become just the third team in League history to come back and win the Conference tournament after losing its first tournament game, having done it themselves in 1987 and equaled by UNC Greensboro in 1997.
Winthrop Head Coach Joe Hudak
“Robert Lake was focused today. You could tell how focused he was from the first pitch. He had great command of his pitches. We're excited and it was a great win for us.”
Liberty Head Coach Jim Toman
“I am really proud of how the guys played this week and this year. Give Winthrop credit, they got the win today, but our guys played well during the tournament. I would like to thank the seniors on this team for helping us to continue to move Liberty baseball forward and representing the University well.”
