ROCK HILL, SC--The Winthrop softball team split a pair of games on the opening day of the 2011 Winthrop/adidas Invitationl at Terry Field as it defeated UNC Wilmington 6-3 on the strength of a grand slam home run by
Veronica Berrie before falling to Wright State 2-1.
Winthrop will face Cleveland State at 1 p.m. and George Washington at 7 p.m. on Saturday as the three-day event continues. The Eagles will take a 4-11 record into Saturday's action. UNCW falls to 2-15 while Wright State improves to 7-7 after its earlier 12-3 win over George Washington.
Berrie's big blast came in the top of the 7th inning as the Eagles were the visitors in the contest. Winthrop went into the inning with the score knotted at 2-2.
Megan Chapman led things off with a single to center field. With one out she stole second base.
Natalie Becker and Paige Hartfield worked losing pitcher Amanda Aditays for walks to load the bases setting the stage for Berrie's second homer of the season which hit off the scoreboard in rightcenter field.
Berrie was the only Winthrop batter to collect two hits as the Eagles finished with six in the game. Ashley Shingleton led the Seahawks with two of her team's four hits.
UNCW threatened in the bottom of the 7th as leadoff hitter Nicole Tuttle reached on an error, but Becker, who came on in relief of starting pitcher
Chelsey Schoenfeldt in the 5th inning, got out of the inning giving up an unearned run.
Becker was not as fortunate in the second game as she took the loss in relief after walking home the go ahead run in the 7th inning. WSU leadoff hitter Louie Haney reached first on an infield single before being sacrificed to second and then reaching third on a wild pitch. Becker then issued three straight walks to score Haney with what proved to be the winning run.
Winthrop's only run came in the first inning when
Jenna Harbin scored from third on a RBI single to right field by
Taylor Wright. Harbin had led off the inning with a double that took one hop off the leftcenter field fence.
With the two decisions on the mound, Becker's record now stands at 3-7. Krystian DeWitt went the distance for the Raiders as she struck out nine while allowing five Eagle hits. DeWitt improves to 4-4 on the season.
