Box Score

COLUMBIA,SC-- A strong pitching performance by freshman Sutton Watson, timely hitting by junior Chelsey Schoenfeldt and sophomore McKenzi Corn along with a flawless defensive performance propelled the Lady Eagle softball team past Tennessee State, 3-1, in eight innings in the final game of the Palmetto Classic, Sunday afternoon.

After two losses on Saturday to Western Kentucky and South Carolina, the Lady Eagles showed their mental toughness and resilience with a tough victory over Tennessee State.

With the win, Winthrop evens its record to 2-2 overall.

Head Coach Mark Cooke said, "The team really grew up today and showed how much fight they have. I can't say enough good things about Sutton Watson's pitching performance and Schoenfeldt's timely hitting. Going home 2-for-2 against such excellent competition is a testament to the great things to come for this ball club."  

Watson bounced back after struggling on Saturday as she tossed a complete game allowing one run on eight hits with a walk and five strikeouts, including a strikeout looking to end the game. In 12.2 innings pitched on the season, her ERA is an impressive 1.11.

Before Schoenfeldt could hit what would be the game-winning home run in the eighth, senior Megan Chapman walked, stole second base and then scored on a clutch single to left from Corn to force the bottom of the seventh inning for the Tigers. Watson continued to dominate on the mound in the bottom of the seventh and the game went into extra innings.

Before Schoenfeldt's at-bat in the top of the eighth, Cooke decided to let Schoenfeldt swing away instead of sacrificing Corn to third and it paid off. On the very first pitch of her at-bat, she hit a towering home run over the right field fence to seal the victory for the Eagles. Schoenfeldt ended the day with two hits and two RBI. For the weekend, she batted .615 with four RBIs. Her performance earned her a spot on the Palmetto Classic All-Tournament team. Joining her on the All-Tournament team is Chapman who batted .444 four walks and two stolen bases on the weekend.

Schoenfeldt and Corn each have four-game hitting streaks to start off the season.

The Eagles travel to the University of Georgia next weekend to face more tough SEC competition. Their next game is on February 17, vs. Western Illinois at 11 am.

Palmetto Classic Tournament MVP: Kaitlin Westfall, South Carolina
All-Palmetto Classic Team:
Audrey Broyles, South Carolina
Evan Childs, South Carolina
Dana Hathorn, South Carolina
Mallorie Sulaski, Western Kentucky
Katrina Metoyer, Western Kentucky
Chelsey Schoenfeldt, Winthrop
Megan Chapman, Winthrop
Shea Morris, Tennessee State
Caila Ferro, Cleveland State