University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
16-20, 0
Winthrop
14-22-1, 0
Doubleheader Wins Help Lift Asheville to First Series Sweep Over Winthrop in 26 Years
04.21.2024 | Baseball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Behind a strong pitching performance from Colby Guy in game one and dominant hitting in game two, the UNC Asheville baseball team picked up two wins over Winthrop on Saturday to help sweep the Big South Conference series over the Eagles. This is Asheville's first series sweep over Winthrop since 1998.
GAME ONE- ASHEVILLE 4 | WINTHROP 1
The Bulldogs carried their momentum over from Friday night's series-opening victory, picking up a 4-1 win to clinch the series win in game one. Guy struck out the first three batters he faced and went on to pitch a total of eight scoreless innings, giving up only three hits, walking one, and striking out a total of 11 batters.
All of Asheville's run production came in the third inning, with Brock Mercado and Ty Kaufman getting things started with a couple of walks. Robbie Burnett drove Mercado in following a double to left field, and Cameron Johnson scored Kaufman and Burnett with a double through the left side. Johnson scored following a wild pitch to help Asheville take a 4-0 lead.
Asheville only recorded four hits, with Kaufman, Burnett, Johnson, and Canon Pierce each recording a hit. Burnett and Johnson had two RBIs each. Winthrop recorded six hits, with three coming in the ninth inning, where they earned their lone run, but Asheville got the final out of the game in the next at-bat to prevent the Eagles from building up any momentum.
GAME TWO- ASHEVILLE 14 | WINTHROP 7
Winthrop got the first runs on the board in game two with a 2-run homer in the top of the second, but Asheville loudly responded in the bottom of the frame with six runs. Asheville's rally began with an RBI single up the middle from Michael Groves to score Corbin Lanowitz. A passed ball allowed Dylan Bacot to score, and an RBI single to center field from Kohl Abrams brought Groves home to help Asheville into the lead. A single through the left side by Kaufman allowed Abrams to score, and a stolen base followed by back-to-back Winthrop errors helped Kaufman score before Burnett launched his 14th home run of the season.
Winthrop cut Asheville's lead in half (6-3) with a run in the fourth, but once again, Asheville answered in the bottom of the inning. A sacrifice fly from Burnett scored Abrams, and Johnson recorded his fifth homer of the season with Kaufman on base to help Asheville take a 9-3 lead.
Once again, Winthrop scored a single run, this time in the fifth, before Asheville responded in the seventh with three runs. Caiden Chilausky and Lanowitz scored following a single up the middle from Pierce, and Mercado doubled down the right-field line to score Groves and Pierce (13-4).
Winthrop added two runs in the eighth, but Groves helped preserve Asheville's lead in the bottom of the frame with an RBI double to left field that scored Johnson. Winthrop got a singular run in the ninth, but that was all the Eagles were able to do.
Every batter in Asheville's starting lineup recorded a hit, as the Bulldogs combined for 15. Groves led the way, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Abrams, Pierce, Bacot, and Kaufman each had two hits, with Burnett, Johnson, Pierce, and Mercado joining Groves with two RBIs each. Burnett, Johnson, Lanowitz, and Mercado each had a hit.
Cole Schiff got the start and win for Asheville, going five innings, giving up six hits, four runs (three earned), walking three, and striking out three. Justin Needs came in for three innings of relief, and Nic Melton pitched the final inning of play.
UP NEXT
Asheville returns to Greenwood Field on Tuesday, April 23, as the Bulldogs face Wofford at 5 p.m.
This weekend's series was presented by Bilco Bats.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Guy, Colby (6-3)
L: LUMPKIN, Reese (2-7)
Batting:
2B: JENNINGS, Chancellor 2 ; WILSON, Harrison 1
RBI: LOMBARDO, Colin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: JENNINGS, Chancellor 1
HBP: EVANS, Charlie 1
Batting:
2B: Burnett, Robbie 1 ; Johnson, Cameron 1
3B: Pierce, Canon 1
RBI: Burnett, Robbie 2 ; Johnson, Cameron 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Kaufman, Ty 1 ; Burnett, Robbie 1 ; Johnson, Cameron 1 ; Mercado, Brock 1
SB: Burnett, Robbie 1
CS: Kaufman, Ty 1
HBP: Burnett, Robbie 1
