WINTHROP — Winthrop and Mt. Abram had hiccups in the field during Wednesday’s Mountain Valley Conference baseball contest.
The Ramblers capitalized on the Roadrunners’ mistakes in the biggest moment of the game, and Matt Beck drove in run and scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh to give Winthrop a come-from-behind walk-off 3-2 victory.
Ramblers (8-3) coach John Novak is happy to have the win, but noted that it was a messy game for both sides.
“I don’t think for either team it was a well-played game,” Novak said. “Both (starting) pitchers kept everybody at bay, and mistakes hurt — it was an ugly win.”
Winthrop made three errors in the game, while Mt. Abram (6-3) had two. There were several wild pitches by both teams throughout the game.
The Roadrunners took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh but couldn’t get the final out to secure the win.
“You have to play seven innings,” Mt. Abram coach Jeff Pillsbury said he told his team after the game. “It’s a simple game. We needed an out and we couldn’t get it.”
The bottom of the seventh started with Roadrunners reliever Logan Dube striking out the first batter, but Carter Rivers reached on an error and later moved to second on a wild pitch. After a Trent Collin flyout, Beck’s single up the middle to score Rivers and even up the game at 2-2.
Beck reaching second on the throw home.
“I just saw a strike and I let it rip,” Beck said.
Dube was replaced by Kaden Pillsbury, who had a hard time finding the plate, and Beck took third on a wild pitch during Brayden Stubbert’s at-bat.
A Mt. Abram mound meeting took place with Stubbert at the plate. The next pitch went to the backstop, allowing Beck to come home to score the game-winning run.
“He threw three or four in the dirt,” Beck said. “I had a feeling the next one would be in the dirt.”
Mt. Abram struck first in the top of the first inning when Killian Pillsbury, who reached base on an error, scored on a fly ball.
Bear Rollins led the top of the second off with a triple to center field for Mt. Abram, but Winthrop starter Trent Collin got out of the inning with no damage by striking out two batters and inducing a groundout.
“Winthrop is a good team, and if you have a chance to beat them and you don’t, they make you pay,” Jeff Pillsbury said.
Collin went 5 2/3 innings on the mound, and had nine strikeouts and four walks while only allowing three hits.
“Trent Collin threw very well — he’s only a sophomore and does a great job,” Novak said. “(Andrew) Fay does a great job. Their pitchers did a fantastic job as well by keeping us off balance.”
Kaden Pillsbury scored the Roadrunners’ second run by reaching first on a walk. He stole second, moved to third on a groundout and scored on another groundout.
Tyler Shumway got the Ramblers’ first hit of the game in the bottom of the fourth with a double to right field. He later scored on a groundout to get Winthrop on the board.
“That was a huge hit,” Novak said. “He has been solid at the plate all year — all-around, just a great player. We needed that; that was a big boost for us.”
That was the only hit Mt. Abram starter Payton Mitchell allowed. He had six strikeouts, allowed one walk and two hit batters.
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