Rock Hill, S.C. - Brad Felder's two-run homer in the eleventh and Matt Reifsnider's career high 6.1 scoreless innings in relief, gave The Citadel a 10-8 win over Winthrop on Wednesday night at the Winthrop Ballpark in front of 1,017 fans.
The Bulldogs got on the board in the top of the first inning when Brad Felder (Orangeburg, S.C.) singled and stole second. Matt Simonelli (Orlando, Fla.) then singled over the shortstop's head to score Felder and put The Citadel in front, 1-0.
A walk by Bulldog start Austin Pritcher (Charleston, S.C.) to Winthrop leadoff man Tyler and a homer by cleanup man Chas Crane allowed Winthrop to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the first. The Eagles would manufacture another run in the second when Sean Sullivan drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice, stole third base and scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-1.
The Citadel and Winthrop would both put up five runs in the fifth as William Ladd (Winnsboro, S.C.) and Nick Orvin (Moncks Corner, S.C.) led the inning off with singles to chase Winthrop starter Matt Pierpont.
Tommy Lawrence came out of the bullpen in relief and hit Felder to load the bases as both benches quickly cleared. Bulldog catcher Bryan Altman (Summerville, S.C.) was ejected in the incident. Singles by Simonelli and new catcher Grant Richards (Morrisville, N.C.) would score Ladd and Orvin. A groundout by Justin Mackert (Cleveland, Ohio) and a sac fly by Kyle Jordan (Goose Creek, S.C.) would score Felder and Simonelli and a base hit up by the middle by David Greene (Columbia, S.C.) would score Richards to cap the Bulldog scoring in the fifth.
Winthrop would respond in the bottom half of the fifth as Pierpont led off with a single and advanced to second on the fourth sac bunt of the game by the Eagles. He then scored on a double by Cook. A bloop single to center by Eddie Rohan then scored Cook to cut the lead to 6-5. Crane then doubled to deep center to score Rohan and tie the game at six. A homer by Matt Thielepape over the right center field wall would score Crane and make it 8-6 in favor of the Eagles. A pair of singles then put runners on the corners to chase Pritcher. Matt Reifsnider (Ormand Beach, Fla.) came in and induced a groundout to second to end the threat.
Pritcher went 4.2 innings, allowing eight hits, eight runs, two walks and a strikeout. Pierpont went 4.0 innings, allowing eight hits, three runs, no walks and striking out three.
The Bulldogs would tie the game in the top of the seventh when Richards reached on a single, followed by a double by Mackert. A base hit by Jordan would score Richards and Mackert and knot the game at eight.
The eighth and ninth innings remained scoreless between both squads. In the top of the eleventh, Orvin led off the inning with a single against Eagles reliever Ken Monteith. Felder then proceeded to launch a two-run homer over the right field wall to put the Bulldogs up, 10-8.
"I really just tried to put the ball in play tonight, after I struggled yesterday," said Felder. "It was a big win on the road for us tonight, especially after how yesterday's game went. We have a big non-conference series coming up this weekend and it was important to gain momentum."
Reifsnider (1-0) pitched a career-high 6.1 innings in relief, scattering five hits, giving up no runs and striking out three to earn his first win of the year. Monteith took the loss, falling to 0-1.
Felder led the Bulldogs with a career-high four hits, going 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI. Greene went 3-for-5 with an RBI, while Richards, Orvin, Ladd, Mackert and Simonelli all collected two hits each. For Winthrop, Crane went 3-for-5 with two runs and three RBI.
"I thought we played very well tonight, Winthrop has got a very good ballclub," said head coach Fred Jordan. "We hung tough all night and it was a great win in the end. Matt Reifsnider threw the ball very well tonight for us. He was very patient, had good rhythm and didn't try to overthrow the ball."
The Citadel returns home to begin a three-game non-conference tilt with Indiana State on Friday at 4 p.m. Live play-by-play, video and live stats will be available. A recap and box score will follow the game. Stay current on Bulldog baseball at CitadelSports.com.
