ATHENS, GA— Winthrop opened the 8th Annual Georgia Softball Classic with a 2-1 loss to North Dakota State and a14-0 loss in five innings to second-ranked Georgia, on Friday.
Winthrop falls to 3-4 after the losses while North Dakota State improves to 3-3 and Georgia improved to 6-0.
The Bulldogs got two big hits in the bottom of the first inning that powered them to three runs off Becker. Taylor Schlopy led off with a walk and scored as Megan Wiggins followed right away with a triple to right center. Becker walked Alisa Goler to put runners at the corners and Brianna Hesson followed with a double to center to make it 2-0. The third run came on a ground out to first base by Ashley Razey.
The second inning was even tougher for Winthrop as Georgia posted seven more runs highlighted by RBI singles by Wiggins, Hesson, Razey and Ashley Pauly.
Becker suffered her first loss of the year as she allowed six earned runs in one and one-third innings of work with three walks and a strikeout. Chelsey Schoenfeldt pitched two and one-third innings allowing one run on four hits with a walk.
Georgia pitcher Morgan Montemayor pitched a solid game allowing just two hits for the Lady Eagles in three innings with no walks and two strikeouts.
Winthrop jumped out on top of the Bison in the bottom of the third inning when Ashleigh Jackson crossed the plate. Jackson led off the inning with a triple to right center and runners were at the corners with no outs after Teja Durante was hit by a pitch on a full count. Durante was caught stealing on her way to second, but Megan Chapman came through with a deep enough fly to left field that scored Jackson on the sacrifice.
North Dakota State posted two runs in the top of the fifth inning and that was enough to hold on for the win. The Bison got things going with two outs in the inning after Jackson forced two batters into routine groundouts. Jackson then walked Elisa Victa, which was followed by a single to center by Cristina Borek to put runners the corners. Brea Konz followed with a single to right to tie the game at 1-1, scoring Victa. Winthrop lost the lead when a grounder to second turned into an error and fielder's choice for Taylor Mortensen, which allowed pinch-runner Camille Depew to score.
Winthrop had an opportunity to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh inning as Brittany Stoudemire hit a lead-off single to center. She moved over to second when McKenzie Corn put down a sacrifice bunt. Stoudemire was replaced at second by Courtney Gaddy, who moved over to third on a wild pitch with one out. Jackson stepped in with a chance to help her own cause, but grounded out to short and Durante struck out looking to end the game.
Jackson suffered the loss and falls to 1-2 on the year as she allowed one earned run on seven hits with four walks and five strikeouts in seven innings.
Randi Parks earned the win for the Bison as she allowed just one run on six hits with two walks and six strikeouts for her first win of the season.
Stoudemire finished 3-for-4 on the day while Durante extended her hitting streak to six games before it ended against Georgia.
Winthrop will be back in action Saturday as it takes on Buffalo at 5 p.m. and North Carolina State at 7 p.m.
