ROCK HILL, SC— The Winthrop softball team will finish its regular season schedule on Sunday, May 8 when it travels north to take on Charlotte in a double-header beginning at 1 p.m.
The double-header was originally scheduled to be played on March 30, but was postponed due to rain.
The Eagles are coming off an 8-3 loss on Wednesday at South Carolina in which they had the lead until the bottom of the fifth inning. It was the first game in 10 days for the Eagles as the players went through exams last week and the early part of this week.
The team is heading into its final regular season game with a 15-32 record overall as it faces a Charlotte team that is 26-22 overall and sport a 10-6 record in a tough Atlantic 10 Conference.
Charlotte has won four of its last seven games and is coming off a five-game road trip in which it went 2-3 with losses at South Carolina (2-1), St. Bonaventure (6-3) and Dayton (5-4).
Charlotte has only face one other Big South school this season as it swept Gardner-Webb in a double-header on March 15, 5-0 and 11-9.
The season isn't over for the 49ers after the double-header on Sunday as they will be playing in next week's Atlantic 10 Tournament.
Tenaya Tucker and Briana Gwaltney lead the way for an offense that averages 4.2 runs per game. Tucker leads the team with a .400 average to go along with 31 runs, 17 doubles, 11 home runs and 43 RBI. Gwaltney is batting .321 with 31 runs, nine doubles, 10 home runs and 40 RBI. Kalie Long has also had a solid year driving in runs with 34 as she also has 12 doubles and five home runs.
Katy Hackett has done the majority of the pitching for the 49ers having started 30 games and tossed over 200 innings. She is 18-10 on the year with a 2.00 ERA and 200 strikeouts to 66 walks with opponents batting just .227 against her.
Since her 16-game hitting streak came to an end on April 19 in the victory over Gardner-Webb, Chelsey Schoenfeldt is 1-for-11 since with three walks. She was intentionally walked to load the bases in the loss at South Carolina Wednesday. She is batting .380, which ranks first in the Big South Conference.
Over the last 10 games Megan Chapman was swung a hot bat averaging .414 and an on-base percentage of .500. The pitching staff has held a solid 3.55 earned run average of the last 10 games, but the team is batting just .212 and are 2-8 in that span.
The two teams split a double-header last season in Rock Hill with the Eagles taking the first game 5-4 and the 49ers hanging on for a 2-1 in the nightcap. This will be the 70th and 71st meeting between the two schools with Winthrop holding a 38-31 lead in the all-time series.
