CLEARWATER, FL— Winthrop softball split on the opening day of the Under Armour Showcase with a 4-1 loss to Fairfield and ending the day with a 7-4 victory over Hartford on Friday.
The Eagles are now 10-13 as they are back in action on Saturday with an 11:30 a.m. contest against the University of North Florida and then a 4:15 p.m. game against the host South Florida.
After falling earlier in the afternoon, Winthrop bounced back to post 5 runs in the first two innings on its way to a 7-4 win over Fairfield.
In the top of the first Paige Haley doubled to left center with one out and then scored on a Megan Winningham single up the middle, her 12th RBI in 13 games played this season.
Winthrop took a 5-0 lead in the second behind a couple of RBI's and scoring on throwing errors. Zharne Glover drew a walk with the bases loaded for the first run of the inning, scoring Toni Pancione. After Haley Zuehlke scored on a throwing error by the catcher, Morgan Lowers made it 4-0 when she drove in Brooke Ellison with a single up the middle. The fourth run of the inning came on another throwing effort by the catcher as Haley scored her second run of the game.
In the fifth inning the Eagles went up 6-1 thanks to an Ellison RBI single that scored Pancione and then they added some insurance for a 7-1 lead in the seventh as Zuehlke singled to right, scoring pinch-runner Lacey Adams.
The Hawks (1-14) did get three runs in the bottom of the seventh to make it interesting but freshman Kiley Majette stay composed and finished off the complete game for her fifth win of the season. Majette tossed seven innings allowing four runs on seven hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
In the first game of the day, Leah Young put the Eagles on the board in the top of the first with two outs when she hit her sixth home run of the season, a solo shot to left center.
That was all the Eagles got as they were held to three hits in the game by Faifield's Destinee Pallotto. Freshman Chace Helms made her first career starts and allowed four runs on eight hits with a walk and four strikeouts in 6.0 innings.
Fairfield (5-7) put up three runs in the bottom of the first and was able to keep the Eagle offense at bay.
Young reached safely in both games and now has a streak of 13 straight games reaching base. Zuehlke, who batted in just the second game of the day, went 3-for-4 against Hartford and finished with a run and RBI. Haley, Pancione, Winningham and Lowers all finished with two hits on the day.
