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ROCK HILL, SC— Winthrop softball opened up its home slate of the 2014 season with a bang as it defeated Robert Morris 3-1 and rallied for an 8-7 win over Northern Colorado on a walk-off on the opening day of the Combat Invitational at Terry Field.

In the nightcap, freshman Maddie Antone delivered a walk-off single to left center to cap off a three-run rally as the Eagles improve to 5-10 on the year.

"The kids played hard and that was exciting," said Winthrop head coach Mark Cooke. "That's the team we had down in Georgia. We picked up some good wins against quality opponents and that will make you feel good. Against Northern Colorado we knew they could score in bunches and they were hitting everything that was up so we decided to move to Dallas and she threw well."

Winthrop trailed 6-2 after three innings and started its comeback with three runs in the fifth and then trailed 7-5 heading into the bottom of the seventh. Naomi Stevens drew a one-out walk to get the rally going. McKenzi Corn followed with a single up the middle on the first pitch and Stevens moved to third on the play while Corn advanced to second on the throw. After Alex White reached on an error by the third baseman fielding a grounder, Mel Andrea stepped up and ripped a 2-0 pitch to center. It looked like the ball might get over the fence at first but the ball hit off the wall and Stevens scored to make it a one-run game. Corn couldn't score as she waited to see if the ball would be caught. The Bears made a pitching change and Kelsey Ritter ripped the first pitch to center field, scoring Corn from third as the bases remained loaded for Antone.

In the fifth inning, Glover laced a double to left field with one out to get things going for the Eagles. Stevens walked and then two batters later White stepped up with two outs and ripped a grounder to the hole up the middle. The Bears second baseman Melissa Marcovecchio dove and stopped the ball from going into center, but Glover was quick to round third and made it home safely without a throw. Andrea reached on an error by the shortstop and Ritter made the Bears pay for the miscue. Ritter singled through the left side as Stevens and pinch-runner Leah Young came around to score as Andrea ended the inning trying to reach third but was called out on the play.

Winthrop led 1-0 after the first inning, but Northern Colorado (3-14) put three across in the second and third for a 6-1 lead. Erica Dick provided a two-run homer in the second and Megan Wilkinson hit a two-run shot in the third to highlight the Bears offense.

Sophomore Dallas King earned the win in the pitching circle as she tossed four innings of relief allowing one run on two hits with a walk and two strikeouts as she is now 1-2 on the year. Sutton Watson started the game as she lasted two innings allowing four runs on five hits while Sarah Allen tossed an inning of relief allowing two runs on two hits.

Northern Colorado's Jayme Reddacliff fell to 0-4 as she allowed eight runs (four earned) on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Wilkinson replaced Reddacliff in the seventh and allowed a single to both batters she faced.

Stevens and Glover each finished with three hits on the day while Glover had four runs and Stevens had three. Ritter topped the team with three RBI on the day while Antone, White and Stevens each had two.

The Eagles ended a five-game losing streak with the victory over Robert Morris (10-5) in the home opener.

Winthrop used the long ball to earn the victory as Stevens and Antone provided the pop. Stevens ripped a 1-2 pitch to straight away center for a 2-0 lead in the third inning. Glover singled with two outs and then Stevens followed with her second home run of the season.

In the fifth inning, the Eagles took a 3-0 lead on Antone's first collegiate home run as she ripped one to right center.

The only mistake starter Allen made was a 2-2 pitch in the top of the sixth as Tess Apke hit a line drive over the fence in left center.

Allen kept the Colonials bats in check for most of the game as she earned her first win of the season going in a complete game performance allowing the one run on three hits with no walks and striking out a career-high nine batters as she is now 1-4 on the year.

"I thought Sarah threw a terrific game against Robert Morris," added Cooke. "Maddie and Naomi provided enough offense for us. I thought that was a good game."

Geena Badolato suffered the loss in the circle for Robert Morris as she allowed three runs on four hits with no walks and four strikeouts to fall to 2-3 on the year.