ATHENS, GA— Winthrop softball dropped two games on the second day of the Red & Black Showcase, Saturday afternoon on the campus of the University of Georgia,

The Eagles fall to 1-3 on the year after falling 14-6 to East Carolina and 4-0 to Syracuse. Winthrop will finish the tournament on Sunday morning when they face Syracuase at 10:30 a.m.

"We came in here to play some great teams and we're playing with them," said co-head coach Mark Cooke. "Against Syracuse we had a few opportunities to score and get back in the game but just couldn't get the hit we needed. I'm very proud of this team as we seem to be shaping into the squad we thought we were going to be. Tomorrow we get Syracuse I'm real excited for our kids, they're playing hard."

Winthrop opened the day with the loss to East Carolina as the Pirates opened up the game in the top of the fourth inning. Leading 4-3, ECU got a big three-run home run off the bat of Alex Mycek with two outs. The bases were loaded with one out when Meredith Burroughs hit a sacrifice fly to center and then Myceck stepped in and hit a 2-2 pitch over the fence in center. The Pirates added two more on a home run by Tate McClellan for a 10-3 lead.

The Eagles plated three in the bottom of the fourth trying to get back into the game. With two outs and two on, Leah Young connected on her first home run of the season on a 3-2 count to cut the deficit to 10-6.

ECU added insurance in the fifth inning with four more runs as Megan Quick led off the inning with a home run to left center and then score three more runs after loaded the bases.
Kiley Majette took the loss as she falls to 0-2 after allowing eight runs (four earned) on seven hits with a walk and a strikeout in 3.2 innings. ECU's Lydia Ritchie earned the win despite allowing six runs on six hits and five walks as she improved to 1-1.

In the loss to Syracuse, the Eagles allowed a run in each of the first two innings. The run in the first came on a two-out wild pitch and then Faith Cain led off the second with a home run to left.

Trailing 4-0 in the bottom of the fourth, the Eagles tried to rally. Paige Haley led off the inning with a single and Shayna Covington followed with a single through the hole at first. However, the Eagles just couldn't get the runs across as Maddie Antone hit into a fielder's choice that got Covington out at second and Morgan Lowers flied out to left field to end the inning.

Ashley Westbrooks led off the fith with a single and two batters later A.G. Gardner singled to left center. The runners moved over on a ground out by Tara Loken but Haley flied out to right to end the threat. The Eagles stranded a runner in the sixth and seventh for a total of six left on base in the game.

Keleigh Romine took the loss after tossing four innings allowing four runs on three hits with two walks and a strikeout. Syracuse's Alexa Romero and Sydney O'Hara combined on a six-hit shutout. Romero earned the win allowing four hits in five innings with four strikeouts and is now 1-1 on the year.