COLUMBIA, SC— Teja Durante's two-run triple in the top of the sixth inning powered Winthrop to a 5-2 road win at South Carolina, Wednesday afternoon at Beckham Field.
Winthrop led 3-2 in the top of the sixth when Durante tripled to right field with two outs, scoring Courtney Gaddy and Veronica Berrie.
With the victory, Winthrop is now 3-2 on the year while South Carolina falls to 3-2.
Berrie drove in the game-winning run as she singled to left center, scoring Ashleigh Jackson with no outs. Chesley Schoenfeldt hit her second double of the season when she hit one opposite field to start off the sixth. Jackson replaced her on the bases and scored two batters later on the hit by Berrie.
Winthrop ran into trouble in the bottom of the third inning as South Carolina jumped out in front 1-0. Evan Childs led off the inning with a single through the right side and moved to second as Laura Mendes put the ball in play toward first base where Taylor Wright committed an error and put runners at first and second. Molly Brossart came through for Gamecocks on a 1-1 pitch as she drove it up the middle and Childs came around to score. Freshman Natalie Becker was able to get out of the jam with the help of her defense as Hannah Milks, who pinch-ran for Mendes, was nailed at home trying to score on a squeeze play. Then Becker struck out Julie Sarratt to end the threat, stranding runners at first and third.
“Becker pitched well today and got some crucial outs today,” said head coach Mark Cooke. “We made some mistakes early, but came back and finished strong to get the win. It's always nice to come down here and get a win. It's a quality win for our team.”
The Gamecocks didn't lead very long as Winthrop answered right back in the top of the fourth. Schoenfeldt hit an opposite field double with one out and was replaced at second by Paige Hartfield. Veronica Berrie followed with an opposite single to put runners at the corners. Brittany Stoudemire continued to swing a hot bat as she singled to right center, scoring Hartfield to tie the game. Stoudemire moved over to second as Berrie tried to reach third, but was thrown out. Winthrop took a 2-1 lead when Kelly Blea grounded to third, but reached on a throwing error and Stoudemire came around to score from second. Another fielding miscue by the Gamecocks put runners at first and second for Durante with two outs and the Lady Eagles had another chance to add a run. Durante singled to left field, but Kaitlin Westfall nailed Blea at the plate to end the inning as she tried to score from second.
An illegal pitch and error by Stoudemire at second base in the bottom of the fifth allowed South Carolina to tie the game at 2-2. Mendes reached after being hit by a pitch to lead-off and moved to second on a sacrifice hit. Mendes was awarded third after Becker was called for an illegal pitch. Westfall stepped in and reached as Stoudemire couldn't handle the grounder and Mendes scored to tie the game.
Schoenfeldt, Durante and Berrie all finished with two hits while Durante had two RBI and Berrie had one.
Becker finished with her first collegiate seven inning complete game allowing two earned runs on six hits with three walks and five strikeouts and is now 2-0 on the season.
Kelley Dillon finished with two hits for the Gamecocks. Sarratt started the game and went three and two-third innings allowing one earned run on three hits with one walk and six strikeouts. She was replaced by April Borchardt, who allowed three earned runs on four hits with a walk and two strikeouts as she suffers her first loss of the season (1-1).
Next up for the Lady Eagles will be the 8th Annual Georgia Softball Classic in Athens, GA this weekend. Winthrop will open up Friday with games against North Dakota State at 1 p.m. and second-ranked Georgia at 5 p.m.
