ROCK HILL—Winthrop used a four-run third inning to break a 1-1 tie and open up the game as it cruised to a 9-1 victory in six innings over Akron, Saturday afternoon at Terry Field in non-conference softball action. Game two of the scheduled double-header was rained out.
Megan Chapman scored on a wild pitch to break the 1-1 score and spark a four-run third inning. Chapman reached on an error to start off the inning and advanced to second on the play. She moved to third base on a bunt single by McKenzie Corn and then scored on the wild pitch with Corn moving to second. Two batters later Brittany Stoudemire singled to put runners at the corners. After Stoudemire moved to second, Jenna Harbin singled up the middle for 3-1 lead as Corn scored. Chelsey Schoenfeldt followed with a double to left center for a 4-1 lead and Harbin later scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-1 Eagles.
Winthrop (8-20) added another run in the fourth on a Corn double to left center and then tacked on three more in the bottom of the sixth to end the game on the eight-run rule.
The sixth inning started off with an Ashleigh Jackson double down the left field line as she ripped it by the third baseman. Jackson moved to third on a wild pitch and then scored three batters later on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded. Kathryn Eberlin picked up an RBI by drawing a walk with the bases loaded to make it 8-1 and then Stoudemire's ground out to second with the bases loaded and one out scored Chapman to end the game.
Winthrop took the lead in the bottom of the first on a Stoudemire double to left center that scored Eberlin, who reached on a walk with two outs.
Akron (12-9) tied the game in the top of the second as left fielder Olivia Hegedus hammered her seventh home run over the left field fence to lead off.
Schoenfeldt kept an Akron offense that came in batting .323 as a team to just three hits in six innings with one walk and seven strikeouts and is now 3-6 on the season.
Alex Riedeman suffered the loss for the Zips as she falls to 4-3 on the year after allowing six earned runs on 11 hits with a walk and no strikeouts.
Chapman finished the day 1-for-3 with three runs and Corn, Jackson and Stoudemire all collected two hits.
Winthrop will be back in action on Wednesday, March 30 on the road as it takes on Charlotte at 4 p.m.
