TOWSON, Md. - Senior righthander Charlie Cononie pitched eight innings of eight-hit ball to lead the Tigers (6-12-1, 2-4) to a 9-4 Colonial Athletic Association victory over UNC Wilmington (12-8, 4-2) at John B. Schuerholz Park on Sunday afternoon.
With the win, the Tigers won the CAA weekend series by taking two out of three games. UNC Wilmington entered the weekend in a three-way tie for first place in the CAA.
While evening his record at 2-2, Cononie threw 125 pitches in the longest outing of his career. He allowed only two earned runs, walked two and struck out nine, matching his career high.
He shut out the Seahawks on one hit from the sixth inning until leaving the game after the eighth.
"Today's game was an indication of how good Charlie can be," said Towson Coach Mike Gottlieb. "He did a great job throwing strikes with his breaking ball and made some big pitches. He was pitching against a very good team today and gave us a great chance to win."
Despite being held to six hits by five UNCW pitchers, the Tigers made the most of their opportunities. UNCW pitchers walked seven batters and hit two others with pitches. They also threw four wild pitches.
For the third consecutive game, the Seahawks scored in the first inning to take an early lead. With one out senior leftfielder Alex Hill singled to rightfield. On a hit-and-run play, junior third baseman Matt Campbell grounded a single to right through the vacated position at second base. When sophomore first baseman Hunter Ridge lined an opposite field single to left, Hill scored to give the Seahawks a 1-0 advantage. However, Cononie pitched out of the jam by striking out junior rightfielder Andrew Cain and retiring junior designated hitter Cameron Cockman on a ground ball to second base.
In the bottom of the first inning, the Tigers took advantage of the control problems experienced by senior righthander Justin Bradley. Senior shortstop Nick Natoli led off for the Tigers and reached base when Bradley walked him on four pitches. Natoli advanced to second base when freshman second baseman Pat Fitzgerald bunted him over.
While Bradley was pitching to senior third baseman Chris Wychock, he threw a wild pitch that bounced away from catcher Drew Farber and over by the UNCW dugout. Running all the way, Natoli scored the tying run all the way from second base.
After Wychock struck out, sophomore catcher Andrew Parker kept the inning alive when he was hit by a pitch. A walk to senior first baseman Austin Harclerode gave the Tigers two runners on base. When junior centerfielder Ben Winter lined a single to centerfield, the Tigers' first hit, Parker scored to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead. A walk to senior rightfielder Steve Rice loaded the bases. But, Bradley pitched out of the inning by retiring designated hitter Brandon Gonnella on a ground ball to second base.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Tigers took advantage of Bradley's control problems to add another two runs. With two outs, Fitzgerald and Wychock drew back-to-back walks. Then, Parker hit a drive down the left field line that Hill nearly caught. But, the ball went for a two-run double to give Towson a 4-1 lead.
The Seahawks cut their deficit to 4-2 in the third inning. Hill drew a leadoff walk and went to second base on a passed ball. With one out, Ridge singled to rightfield to drive in Hill. However, Cononie retired the next two hitters to protect the lead.
Bradley was relieved by junior lefthander Steven Davis at the start of the third inning. In two innings, Bradley gave up four runs on two hits with five walks, a hit batter and a wild pitch.
Davis retired the Tigers in order in the third and fourth innings.
The Seahawks continued to chip away at the Tigers' lead. In the fifth inning, sophomore second baseman Michael Bass led off with a double to left centerfield. With one out, Campbell reached on an infield single to third base, putting runners at the corners. A sacrifice fly by Ridge cut the deficit to 4-3. But, Cononie retired Cain on a ground ball to shortstop to end the threat.
With their lead trimmed to 4-3, the Tigers went back to work. With one out, Parker singled and stole second base. When Harclerode grounded back to the mound, Parker was trapped off second base for the second out. Winter was hit by a pitch to put two runners on base with two outs. A single by Rice to left field drove in Harclerode to give Towson a 5-3 lead. Gonnella grounded out to third base, ending the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, freshman leftfielder Dominic Fratantuono opened the inning with a bloop single to left field. He advanced to second base on a wild pitch and moved to third base when Natoli grounded out to second base. Facing junior righthander Jack Lane, Fitzgerald lifted a sacrifice fly to rightfield, scoring Fratantuono to give the Tigers a 6-3 advantage.
The Tigers extended their lead to 9-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning. Sophomore righthander Blaze Tart walked Gonnella with one out. With two outs, he advanced to second base on a wild pitch and took third on another wild pitch while Tart was walking Natoli. After Natoli stole second base, Fitzgerald hit a ground ball to third base. When Campbell threw the ball away for an error, two unearned runs scored to give Towson an 8-3 advantage. With Fitzgerald on second base, Wychock lined a single to left field, giving the Tigers a 9-3 lead.
In the ninth inning, UNCW added a run when junior David Pope led off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Ryan LaGrange. Junior righthander Tyler Austin then retired the side to nail down the win.
Despite being outhit 9-6, the Tigers were able to win.
"We did a great job taking advantage of the opportunities they gave us," added Gottlieb. "We ran the bases well and played a good game defensively."
Parker, who batted .455 in the series, led the Tigers with two hits and two runs batted in.
Ridge led UNCW with two hits and three RBI's while Pope had three hits.
The Tigers return to action on Tuesday night when they face sixth-ranked Virginia in Charlottesville at 5:00 p.m.
