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ROCK HILL, SC—Winthrop and Radford combined for 28 runs on 36 hits as the two teams split a doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Terry Field in Big South Conference softball action. Winthrop took the first game 7-6 while Radford took the second game 8-7.

The Eagles snapped a four-game skid by winning the first game of the twinbill but lost the weekend series to the Highlanders. Winthrop is now 17-18 on the year and 5-7 in the league while Radford improves to 9-17 overall and 3-3 in the Big South.

"It was two knockdown, drag out games," said Winthrop head coach Mark Cooke. "We played hard in both games, but our pitchers just couldn't control them."

The Eagles had lost four straight heading into the day before ending that streak in the opening game of the doubleheader.

Things didn't start well for the Eagles as they fell behind 3-0 in the fourth inning as Radford's Casey Burns belted her first of two three-run home runs on the day.

Winthrop responded right away by tying the game in the bottom of the fourth as McKenzi Corn was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Corn then stole second with one out and came around to score on a double down the left field line off the bat of Alex White. Kelsey Ritter followed that up with a two-run home run to left to tie the game at 3-3.

Winthrop added two runs in the fifth as Corn and Mel Andrea provided RBI singles. Abby Morrow, who started the game in the circle for Radford, was replaced after falling behind 5-3 as Kelsey Weddle came in to keep the Eagles from doing any more damage. However, the Eagles got to Weddle in the sixth with three runs after Radford had tied the game at 7-7 with a four-run sixth.

Paige Haley reached on an error to start off the inning and then Kim Ryder singled to right as the right fielder lost her footing, which allowed Haley to get to third on the play. Ryder stole second to place two runners in scoring position, which didn't matter as Megan Winningham stepped up and belted a three-run homer to left center.

Dallas King started the game but didn't factor in the decision after allowing six runs (three earned) on six hits with a walk and a career-high eight strikeouts. Sutton Watson earned the win in relief as she tossed the final 1.2 innings allowing no hits with no walks and two strikeouts.

In the nightcap, Winthrop tied the score at 7-7 in the bottom of the sixth inning before giving up the game-winning run to Radford in the top of the seventh.

Freshman Maddie Antone singled to right with one out and then moved to second on the second out as Paige Haley grounded out to the pitcher. Watson followed with a single to third base that put runners at the corners. Naiomi Stevens stepped up and ripped a ball through the left side to plate Antone. Winningham stepped up and on a 2-2 count, drove the ball to right field as she hustled in for a double that scored Watson from second base. Stevens tried to score all the way from first to take the lead but the throw home by right fielder Summer Robinson was on the mark to catcher Jessie Hutchens, who then applied the tag to Stevens a few feet up the baseline. Winningham finished the day 5-for-8 at the plate with three runs and six RBI.

Radford scored the eventual game-winning run in the top of the seventh on a groundout by Whitney Davis. Julie Gardner led off the seventh with a double to left center and then moved to third on an error by Antone as the grounder off the bat of Burns rolled through her legs to put runners at the corner with no outs. Davis stepped up and grounded to third as Ritter fielded the ball cleanly. Ritter looked back Gardner at third and threw to first base for the out. Gardner took off home and Alex White's throw home was in time but Gardner slid around the tag from Haley.

The Eagles scored two in the first as they took advantage of a couple of errors by the Radford infield. Winningham stepped up and singled up the middle with one out and then Corn reached on an error as her grounder to second was mishandled and then the throw to first was off the mark as Winningham moved to third and Corn ended up on second. Andrea came through with a squeeze bunt that plated Winningham and put runners at the corners. White then stepped in and laid down a bunt that scored Corn, who just beat the throw home on the play.

Radford scored five runs over the next two innings behind a two-run home run by Davis and a three-run shot by Burns to right center.

Winthrop made it 5-4 in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a two-out single up the middle by Winningham.

Senior Sara Allen started in the pitching circle for the Eagles as she tossed three innings allowing five earned runs on five hits with a walk and four strikeouts. She didn't factor into the decision as reliever Sutton Watson suffered the loss and is now 6-5 on the year after allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.

Morrow earned the win in the pitching circle for the Highlanders as she is now 4-4 after allowing six runs (two earned) on nine hits with a walk and five strikeouts. Rachael Walters earned her second save of the series by tossing the final inning.

On the day, Andrea finished with four hits and two RBI while White and Ritter also had two RBI. Corn, who had two runs on the day, is now three shy of 100 in her career.

In addition to the combined 28 runs and 36 hits, the two teams combined for nine extra base hits, seven of which were home runs.

Winthrop will be back in action on Tuesday, Apr. 1 as it remains at home to take on Gardner-Webb in a doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m.