ROCK HILL, SC— South Carolina posted four runs in the top of the seventh as Winthrop fell 6-1, Wednesday evening in non-conference softball action at Terry Field.
South Carolina (10-4) broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the sixth inning when Kaitlin Westfall delivered an RBI single to through the right side. The Gamecocks threatened to add more runs in the inning after a sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with one out. Natalie Becker was able to get out of the jam as she got Kelley Dillon to fly out to shallow center and then forced P.J. Fulmer into a groundout to third.
Leading 2-1, the Gamecocks added some insurance in the seventh inning with four runs. The inning led off with back-to-back bunt singles by Lauren Lackey and Samie Garcia. Lackey moved to third on the Garcia bunt courtesy of a throwing error by Kelly Blea to first. Hannah Milks made it a 3-1 in favor of the visitors when she plated Lackey on a bunt single. Ashleigh Jackson replaced Becker on the mound at that point and then gave up a triple down the left field line that just missed the glove of a diving Jenna Harbin. That triple scored two more runs to make it 5-1. The sixth run of the game came on a single up the middle by Dana Hathorn.
The Gamecocks jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Laura Mendes took a 1-2 pitch over the right field fence on line drive with two outs.
Winthrop (3-8) came back to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth inning when Megan Chapman hit a solo shot to left with one out. Taylor Wright nearly put the Eagles in front with back-to-back homers, but her line drive to right just curved before the foul pole and the game remained tied.
Becker suffered the loss for the Eagles as she allowed four earned runs on eight hits with four walks and four strikeouts and falls to 2-4 on the year.
Audrey Broyles picked up the win in the circle for the Gamecocks as she allowed just one earned run on two hits with a walk and four strikeouts.
Mendes finished the game 3-for-3 with two runs and three RBI while Milks also had two hits.
Winthrop hits the road again this weekend as it heads to Woodstock, GA for the Buzz Classic hosted by Georgia Tech. Winthrop opens up on Friday, Mar. 4 at 11 a.m. when it takes on Drexel and then will face Boston University at 4 p.m.
