ROCK HILL, S.C. – Big South Preseason Pitcher of the Year Nate Pawelczyk and Big South strikeouts leader Zach Peek each picked up quality starts to lead Winthrop past Longwood, 4-3 in game one and 8-0 in game two, to take both ends of a doubleheader Friday at the Winthrop Ballpark.
 
The defending Big South regular season champion and pick to win the Big South in 2018, Winthrop (11-13, 5-0 Big South) got two of the best performances of the season from its frontline starters, Pawelczyk and Peek, to top Longwood (6-14, 1-4 Big South).
 
The Lancers, who have taken on two of the teams projected to finish in the top three in the league after hosting High Point in the opening weekend, played the majority of the doubleheader in one-run ballgames.
 
"It just got away from us in the end," Longwood head coach Ryan Mau said. "We're going to need some guys to step up for us in a big way to find a way to grab a game in the series. We have to put these games behind us and find a way to salvage a game in Rock Hill."
 
Eric Crain picked up hits in both ends of the doubleheader with a double and an RBI between the two games and Antwaun Tucker picked up a two-hit game in the first end of the twin bill.
 
"Eric had an outstanding day at the plate," Mau said. "He executed a safety squeeze to perfection in game one and overall he took some really good swings. He smashed the ball around, just at people. He came up with a big double in game two."
 
The series is set to conclude with a 2 p.m. first pitch Saturday at the Winthrop Ballpark.
 
Winthrop 4, Longwood 3
 
Winthrop third baseman Jake Sullivan hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the sixth inning to back 6.0 innings of two-run ball by Pawelczyk, the Winthrop starter, as the Eagles took the front end of the doubleheader from Longwood, 4-3.
 
The Lancers led for the majority of the game on the heels of a two-run first inning, but Sullivan's two-run homer gave Winthrop the lead and an insurance run in the seventh proved to be the difference.
 
The preseason pitcher of the year in the Big South and a first team all-conference selection in 2017, Pawelczyk (3-2) settled in after allowing the Lancers a pair of first-inning runs.
 
"I thought we did a great job of jumping their starter early," Mau said. "We put some pretty decent swings on him, we took advantage of some free passes, and showed some fight. We just needed more time and we didn't have it."
 
The right-hander tossed 6.0 innings with two runs allowed, one earned, on four hits with four walks and five strikeouts.
 
Winthrop senior left-hander Riley Arnone picked up his team-leading fourth save of the season, collecting the final four outs for Winthrop.
 
Despite a solid performance Longwood lefty starter Steven Farkas (1-4) took the loss after allowing four runs, one after being replaced in the seventh.
 
"I thought he threw the ball pretty well," Mau said. "Unfortunately he made a couple of mistakes and those couple of mistakes cost us some runs."
 
Farkas surrendered the four runs on 6.0 innings on the mound, spreading out eight hits with three walks issued and six strikeouts.
 
The six-strikeout performance put Farkas at 44 on the season, momentarily giving him the lead in punchouts in the Big South before Peek started game two of the doubleheader.
 
Out of the bullpen freshman right-hander Tommy Green tossed 2.0 shutout innings with one hit allowed and three strikeouts without a walk issued.
 
"Tommy Green did an outstanding job out of the bullpen for us," Mau said. "I thought we showed some fight, but we just came up on the short end, unfortunately."
 
The game started with the Lancers rallying for runs right out the gate. Senior captain Sammy Miller singled to start the game and Justin Mitchell followed with a walk to give the Lancers a pair of base runners with no outs. After falling down to two strikes in the count, Nate Blakeney was hit by pitch to load the bases with no outs. Two batters later with the bases loaded and one out, Crain put down a perfect bunt on the first base line, bringing in a run on the bunt single. In the next at-bat, a passed ball gave the Lancers a 2-0 lead.
 
Winthrop struck back with a run in the home half of the first. Center fielder Matthew Mulkey started the frame with a jam-shot single. After a stolen base and a throwing error on the steal to move Mulkey to third, Brandon Fite singled to bring in Mulkey.
 
Both pitchers then settled in as Longwood led at 2-1 until the sixth inning. In the home half of the sixth switch hitter Grant English doubled down the left field line, giving Winthrop a lead-off base runner. Farkas battled back to get the next two hitters, but Sullivan came up with a two-out homer to give Winthrop a 3-2 lead.
 
After the Eagles added to the lead with a run in the home half of the seventh, Longwood brought it back within a run in the top of the eighth. Joey Mendez doubled down the left field line to start the frame, but was still at second base with two outs. Tucker came through with a clutch two-out RBI single to bring the deficit to 4-3.
 
In the ninth the Lancers placed the potential tying run aboard on a lead-off walk, but a doubleplay and strikeout ended the game.
 
Winthrop 8, Longwood 0
 
The middle of the order for Winthrop – Fite, Mitch Spires, and English – combined for nine hits in game two to down the Lancers, 8-0, in the back half of the doubleheader.
 
The offense was more than enough to back Peek (3-2), who tossed a complete game shutout with three hits allowed, one walk issued, and eight strikeouts.
 
"I thought Peek was really good tonight," Mau said. "It took us a while to make an adjustment and unfortunately we let him settle in. He did a heck of a job tonight."
 
Michael Catlin (2-2), pitching in relief from the third inning on, surrendered five runs in 4.2 innings of work on nine hits and one walk issued with five strikeouts.
 
Longwood starter Cody Boydstun pitched to just 10 batters. Boydstun tossed 2.0 scoreless innings with two hits allowed, two walks, and three strikeouts.
 
"I thought Cody gave us a good start, it was unfortunate he had to leave the game with an injury," Mau said. "I thought Michael Catlin did an outstanding job of stepping in and taking us deep into that ballgame."
 
Winthrop jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the third inning off Catlin. Spires, the Winthrop shortstop, tripled to left-center with one out to give the Eagles a man at third and less than two outs. The next man, English, flew out to center and brought in Spires on a sacrifice fly.
 
Catlin then settled in, keeping the Eagles off the board for the next three innings before Winthrop broke out in the seventh.
 
Scout McFalls walked to start the inning and Fite followed with a single to center, moving McFalls into scoring position. Mitch Spires singled to left to bring in a run. The next batter, English, cleared the bases with a two-run triple, making it 4-0 Winthrop. Hunter Lipscomb singled back up the middle to bring in English and finish off a four-run rally.
 
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