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ATHENS, GA— The Winthrop softball team lost a couple of close games to Ohio State and eighth-ranked Georgia, Sunday afternoon on the final day of the Red and Black Showcase.

Winthrop fell to Ohio State 4-3 in eight innings in the first game and then fell 5-3 in the second game to the nationally ranked Bulldogs.

“We're coming home 1-3 but I'm proud of how this team competed at a high level,” said head coach Mark Cooke. “We've got another tough weekend ahead and we're going to come home and work on a few areas we need to improve.”

In the first game of the day the Buckeyes were on the fortunate end of back-to-back hit batsmen with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to get the winning run and to improve to 4-1 on the year.

With the score tied at 3-3 in the top of the seventh, Winthrop had a great opportunity to take the lead. Chelsey Schoenfeldt led off with a single up the middle and was replaced at first by pinch-runner Kim Ryder. Teja Durante came through with a pinch-hit single through the right side to put runners and first and second with no outs. Kelsey Ritter followed with a single to center to load the bases with no outs. Jenna Harbin came up with a chance to take the lead, but her grounder to pitcher turned into a double-play as Olivia O'Reilly threw home for the force out and then Harbin was thrown out at first to keep the slate clean. O'Reilly then struck out Christine DeWitt to end the threat.

The Buckeyes had their chance to win the game on a walk-off in the bottom of the seventh Evelyn Carrillo picked up her first hit of the day with a one-out single up the middle. Jesse Machovina, who pinch-ran for Carrillo, moved to third after the next batter reached on an error by Kathryn Eberlin to put runners at the corner. However, Dallas King was able to get an inning-ending double play to send the game into extra innings. King was intentionally walking Leesa Gresham, but one of her pitches came to close to the plate and Gresham swung away. The ball looped over the head of King, but Haley Zuehlke scooped the ball up on one hop, touched second base and zipped the ball over to first to get the double play and force extras.

For the second straight day and second time in three games, Schoenfeldt homered in her first at-bat as she gave the Lady Eagles a 1-0 lead in the second with a solo shot to center.

The Buckeyes answered right away in the bottom of the second to take a 2-1 lead. Gresham was plunked to start off the inning and she was replaced by pinch-runner Alyson Mott at first. After being sacrificed to second, Mott came around to score on a double to right center by Caitlin Conrad to tie the game. Ohio State took the lead when Conrad moved to third on a passed ball and then scored on a passed ball.

In the third inning, Ohio State took a 3-2 lead on a fielding miscue by the Lady Eagles. Maddy McIntyre doubled to left to lead off the inning and.
Winthrop tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth inning Zharne Glover scored all the way from first on a single to right field by Kristy Noble. The hit for Noble came with two outs.

Sara Allen started, but left the game after an inning and a third as she allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit with two walks and a strikeout. King relieved Allen and tossed six and one-third innings allowing one earned run on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts but suffered the loss after allowing the winning run to reach in the eighth.

“Dallas threw a great ball game for us in relief,” said Cooke. “Dallas and Sutton both threw well today. We're a young ball club that battled all weekend with some good teams.”

Against Georgia, Winthrop fell behind 4-0 but continued to battle by getting base runners and it eventually paid off in the sixth inning when Eberlin hammered a three-run shot to left. Corn led off the inning with a double and then Schoenfeldt walked to set up Eberlin.

The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead on a fielding error by Glover after Christine Olney had singled to center with two outs. The deficit became 3-0 in the third inning when fielding miscues costs the Eagles again. Georgia had sacrificed Samantha LaZear, who reached on a bunt single, to third with two outs. Watson forced a grounder to second base, but Noble committed an error and the run scored. That was followed by a Geri Ann Glasco double to left, scoring Paige Wilson. Glasco was thrown out trying to stretch the double into a triple.

A passed ball by Watson in the fourth allowed Tiesha Reed to score with two outs pushed it to a 4-0 lead for Georgia.

After Winthrop cut the deficit to one run, Georgia added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly to left after Wilson led off the inning with a triple to right center.

Watson tossed a complete game allowing two earned runs on six hits with no walks and two strikeouts as she falls to 1-1 on the year. Glasco also went the distance allowing three earned runs on five hits with two walks and eight strikeouts and is now 2-0 on the year.

On the day, Ritter finished with four hits that included a career-high three hits in one game (vs. Ohio State). Zuehlke had three hits while Schoenfeldt finished with two.

Up next for the Eagles will be the Spartan Invitational in Spartanburg, SC, hosted by USC Upstate. Winthrop will face George Mason at noon and Samford at 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 15 and will then face USC Upstate at 2 p.m. and Bowling Green at 6 p.m. on Saturday.