Strauss’ Walk-Off Single Gives Eagles 10-9 Win Over App State

ROCK HILL, SC – Winthrop baseball scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday evening, including a walk-off single by Jonathan Strauss, to earn their first win of 2021. The Eagles defeated App State, 10-9.

GAME INFORMATION
RECORDS: Winthrop (1-2) | Appalachian State (2-1)
WINTHROP LEADERS: Jonathan Strauss (2-for-5, 3RBI), Joe McNamara (3-for-5, 1 HR), Spencer Yankle (2-for-4, 2RBI), Tyler Baker (1-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 HR)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• App State strung together back-to-back-to-back singles to right field off Andrew Coker, taking a 1-0 lead.
• Joe McNamara opened Winthrop’s half of the inning with a homerun, the team’s first of the season to tie it up.
• Jonathan Strauss extended the Eagle’s lead with a bases loaded, two run double, 3-1.
• Hunter Christopher knocked in Dillon Morton to make it a 4-1 game.
• Joey Tepper followed that up with an RBI of his own. The Eagles led, 5-1, after one.
• App State got two back in the second.
• Alex Leshock singled to left and advanced to second on a Bailey Welch walk.
• Leshock would score on back-to-back errors from Spencer Yankle and Jonathan Strauss.
• Welch came home on an Andrew Terrell ground out.
• The Eagles went down quietly in their half of the second.
• Joe McNamara led off with a single down the left field line, followed by an Andrew Jenner single to third in the fifth inning
• McNamara scored on a Spencer Yankle single to center to give Winthrop a 6-5 lead
• App State put up a three hit, three-run 6^th inning.
• Robbie Young led off the inning with a double to right, followed by a single from Jack Lipson
• Bailey Welch flied out, advancing the runners, scoring Young
• Andrew Terrell singled, scoring Lipson to tie the game at six apiece
• Alex Leshock came home on an Andrew Greckel fly out giving the Mountaineers an 8-6 lead
• Joey Tepper singled to left to lead off Winthrop’s half of the sixth inning
• Tyler Baker tied the game up at eight with a two-run home run
• Joe McNamara is punched out on a close call at first to end the inning
• Phillip Cole scored off a single to left field by Alex Leschock to take a 9-8 lead over the Eagles in the seventh inning.
• It was a 1,2,3 eighth inning for both teams.
• Dalton Skinner sat the Mountaineers down in order in the top of the ninth, including two strikeouts.
• With his third hit of the contest, Joe McNamara singled to lead off the bottom of the ninth.
• Andrew Jenner grounded out, advancing McNamara to second.
• After walking Scout McFalls, Spencer Yankle doubles to right field, scoring McNamara, tying the contest at nine.
• App State chose to intentially walk Dillon Morton and Jonathan Strauss would make them pay
• The sophomore singled down the left field line, scoring Scout McFalls and giving Winthrop the 10-9 win.

ON DECK
The Eagles will travel to Columbia to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks on Tuesday, Feb. 23. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. These teams most recently met in 2019, with South Carolina winning the contest, 8-6, and have won five of the last six meetings.