Full Winthrop/adidas Invitational Schedule

ROCK HILL, SC— The Winthrop softball team rides its three-game winning streak into the weekend as it hosts the annual Winthrop/adidas Invitational beginning Friday, March 9 and running through Sunday, Mar. 11.

The Lady Eagles have won three straight and are 8-9 on the year as they will open up the weekend on Friday at noon against St. John's. That will be followed by a 2 p.m. contest against Bowling Green.

The seven-team field will compete over three days with all the games being played at the Winthrop Softball Complex on two separate fields.

The field this year includes Winthrop, St. John's, Bowling Green, Campbell, Gardner-Webb, Albany, and UNC Wilmington.

Winthrop's season has been highlighted by an upset victory over ninth-ranked Tennessee and some individuals having strong seasons offensively.

Senior shortstop Megan Chapman had a very strong end to the 2011 season and has picked up where she left off as she has a team-best .440 average. She's second on the team with nine runs and has an on-base percentage of .517. She's also 7-for-10 on the bases.

Junior Chelsey Schoenfeldt has provided a strong bat as she's hitting .383 on the year with four doubles and a team-high 14 RBI. Sophomore McKenzi Corn is off to a solid start this season with a .277 average and a team-high 11 runs. She's also 5-for-6 on the bases.

A nice surprise this year is the offense provided by junior Mel Andrea, who missed all of 2011. She's second on the team with eight RBI, many which have either tied the game or given Winthrop the lead. She's hitting .375 with runners in scoring position.

Pitching has been pretty solid so far this season with a couple of bumps here and there through the first 17 games, but it has settled down in recent weeks. During the three-game win streak, Winthrop has thrown two shutouts and posted a 0.37 ERA as a team in 19 innings.

Schoenfeldt is 4-4 on the year with a 3.90 ERA, but is 2-0 in the win streak with a 0.81 ERA in 8.2 innings of work. Sophomore Natalie Becker is 3-5 on the year with a 3.38 ERA but has not allowed a run in the last 10.2 innings of work.

Tickets for the event are $5 all day or $10 for the entire weekend.