GREENVILLE, SC- Lady Eagle softball claimed a two-game series win against Furman at Greenville on Wednesday, and with that reached 30 wins on the season. The Lady Eagles dominated the Lady Paladins 6-2 in the first game, but had to utilize extra innings to grind out a tough 5-4 win in the second meeting.
Great team defense and explosive hitting were the keys in the Lady Eagles' reaching a the 30-win plateau. Once again Winthrop was supported by some excellent pitching from Kelli Johnson in game one, and Danna Haydar and Shahna Ashard in the second game. Ashard came on in relief of Haydar during the sixth inning and was credited with the win.
Kjersti Johnson grabbed the headlines once again due to her powerful perfomance with the bat. She homered in each game at critcal points to spark the offense and lead the Lady Eagles to victory. Kjersti Johnson began well by driving in the opening run for Janiva Willis. However, the game was tied at 1-1 when Stepahine Turney hit a home run in the bottom of the second to re-establish a slim advantage for Winthrop. This boosted the Lady Eagles, who proceeded to score three more runs in the third. Laura Hill drove in Willis for a second time and then Catherine Cashion scored Kjersti Johnson and Laura Hill with a double.
Furman were unable to respond to the barrage of hitting, and great pitching from Kelli Johnson along with solid fielding, gave Kjersti Johnson the platform to put the game away with a home run in the sixth.
In the second game Winthrop started Haydar on the mound due to her recent impressive performance against Jacksonville. Haydar again pitched a solid game before being replaced by Ashard in latter stages. Winthrop got off to a fast start in game two with Lindsey Merriman driving in Willis for her third run of the day. Turney continued her successful day with the bat, with a double that scored Kjersti Johnson and Hill.
However, Furman then made a pitching change and showed great resiliance to fight back. Megan Joudon scored in the bottom of the first, but the signs looked ominous when Kjersti Johnson recorded her fourth run of the day with a second home run in the fifth inning. To their credit Furman never gave up, and scored three runs in the fifth and sixth innings to keep it close. No team could score in the seventh and it was fitting that Kjersti Johnson sealed the win in extra innings with her fifth run of the day, when Merriman drove her in.
The Lady Eagles are now idle over Easter weekend, and will put their 30-16-1 record on the line against Charlotte at 2 p.m. on Tueday at Terry Field.
