Big deal.

"As long as we've got the uniform on, says 'Winthrop' across the front, it's an important game," coach Joe Hudak said after the Eagles lost 14-7 to the Bulldogs. "It just seems like the last half of the season, we have not played very well in midweek games."

Playing a team they thrashed 11-6 on March 26 in Charleston, Winthrop (21-28) was down 2-0 after the top of the first but put together three runs on four hits in the bottom of the frame to take the lead. From then on out, it was all The Citadel.

The Bulldogs played long ball in the third and fifth innings, Chris McGuiness and Richard Jones connecting on two-run homers. The Citadel (25-23) scored nine runs before Winthrop got back on the board, the Eagles reverting to their early-season trend of stranding a village on the paths (12).

After that surging first inning, Winthrop got six hits and no runs through the seventh. The Eagles stirred in the eighth when they scored three runs and had the bases loaded, nobody out, only down 11-6.

Billy Froehlich's sacrifice fly was deep enough to score a run and it was 11-7, still two men on. But Eddie Rohan grounded into a tailor-made 6-4-3 double play and the threat died.

The Citadel added three runs in the ninth to remove any doubt.

It was pointed out it was still a non-conference game, but that was little comfort. Seeking to get on a roll before a mega-important series hits -- Radford this weekend and a chance to lock up a top-four seed for the Big South Conference tournament -- Winthrop can't afford to take any games off.

"Losing always hurts," captain Eddie Tisdale said. "Even though we have a big series this weekend. We kind of control our own destiny, but we were looking to beat these guys, after we hurt them pretty bad down at their place."