ATHENS, GA—Winthrop softball closed out the 10
th Red and Black Showcase with a tough 6-5 loss in 11 innings, Sunday afternoon at Jack Turner Stadium.
Winthrop is now 1-4 on the year while Syracuse improves to 3-2. The Eagles will be back in action next weekend at the Cougar Classic in Mt. Pleasant, SC as they will open up play on Friday, at 4:30 p.m. against Monmouth.
Sophomore
Kiley Majette tossed a career-high 10.2 innings allowing six runs on 13 hits with five walks and tied a career-high nine strikeouts. Syracuse used three pitchers as Alexa Romero tossed 6.2 innings of relief allowing no runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts to earn the win.
"We played had absolutely one of the best pitching games we've had in years," said co-head coach
Mark Cooke. "Both teams played great defense, there were terrific plays at the plate. Their pitchers were very good and Kiley threw every pitch as she threw very well. Tough way to lose, but we feel real good about today and our weekend. Our players are getting better and got stronger this weekend."
Winthrop had chances to take the lead in extra innings in the 8
th. 9
th, and 10
th. In the 8
th Brooke Ellison doubled to right with one out.
Paige Haley then walked and the runners moved over on a groundout by
Shayna Covington, but Young popped out to third on a 2-2 count to end the inning. In the 9
th,
Maddie Antone reached on an error to get things started and moved to second on a sacrifice by Lowers. Antone moved to third on a wild pitch with two outs, but Gilreath flied out to right. In the 10
th Madyson Watson led off with a single up the middle, moved to second on sacrifice and moved to third on a ground out by Haley. Then on a wild pitch Watson took off for home plate, but was thrown out when the catcher turned and tossed the ball back to the pitcher, who applied the tag.
Syracuse scored the winning run on a walk-off single by Hannah Dossett with two outs and runners on second and third.
The Eagles grabbed an early 4-0 lead thanks to a three-run home run by Haley, the first of her career. That made it 4-0 after Ellison put the Eagles on the board first with an RBI single.
The Orange cut the Winthrop lead in half in the fourth, but the Eagles got one back in the fifth when
Leah Young scored as
Morgan Lowers reached on a fielding error. Syracuse tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on a two-out, two-RBI double by Jessica Heese.
This was the first 11-inning game for Winthrop since Apr. 4, 2015 in a 3-2 loss at Charleston Southern.
