ROCK HILL, SC— Winthrop softball earned a doubleheader split Saturday afternoon with Charleston Southern to capture its Big South opening series, 2-1. Winthrop won 6-5 in the first game of the day with a walk-off in the bottom of the eighth and then fell 5-2 in the final game of the series.
 
GAME INFORMATION
RECORDS: Winthrop (11-10, 2-1 Big South), Charleston Southern (17-13, 1-2 Big South)
WINTHROP LEADERS: Ashley Westbrooks (4-for-8, 2B, 2SB, 2R, 2RBI), Sabrina Shroades (4-for-4, R), Morgan Lowers (3-for-7, 2B, SB, 2RBI) Jesse Burleson (1-for-1, BB, 2RBI), Madyson Watson (2.0 IP, Win, 2-for-7, 2R, HR, RBI)
 
COACHES QUOTE
Head Coach Mark Cooke~
"The first game was a knockdown, drag out we won in the last inning and this second was a knockdown, drag out and lost. The difference with this team is they go out and battle every time. Our game plan this weekend was to not let their top three hitters get four at-bats in a game but in the last game they were able to do so and I thought that hurt us there. I thought our kids did a good job of playing defense and working hard. I like how scrappy they were, I liked how they put runners in scoring position. We had kids that haven't been on the field a lot step up and make great swings today. I felt like this was an accomplishment to take 2-of-3 from a team that can hit like that. I'm very proud of what we did today and this is something we can build on for the rest of the year."
 
WHAT HAPPENED
            Game 1

• Charleston Southern led 1-0 after two innings thanks to a sacrifice fly from Destini Ewing
• Sarah Brown reached on an error when Sabrina Shroades dropped her pop up and then moved to second when Shroades throw to first base went into foul territory
• Brown stole third and then scored on the fly by to left by Ewing
• Mallory Kasinger homered for the second straight game in the series as she hit a three-run blast for a 4-0 lead in the top of the third
• Winthrop got one back in the bottom half of the third as Ashley Westbrooks doubled, stole third and scored on an infield single by Morgan Lowers
• The Eagles fought back to take a 5-4 lead with a four-run fourth
• Keleigh Romine walked with one out and moved to second on a single by Sabrina Shroades followed by a single to right by Madyson Watson to load the bases
• Jesse Burleson stepped in as a pinch-hitter and delivered with a single to left, scoring two to make it 4-3
• Two batters later Westbrooks singled to right center to put the Eagles ahead 5-4
• The Bucs tied the game at 5-5 in the sixth on an RBI double with two outs from Madison Koger
• The game went to extra innings and Watson worked a 1-2-3 top of the eighth for the Eagles
• In the bottom of the eighth, Shayna Covington led off with a single and stole second to get in scoring position
• Westbrooks moved Covington to third with a sacrifice bunt and then Lowers blasted a shot over the drawn-in outfield for a walk-off single
• Watson earned the win in the circle as she tossed two innings of relief allowing no hits, no runs, walking one and striking out three to improve to 3-3 on the year
• The Eagles left nine runners stranded but finished the game 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position

 
Game 2

• This time Winthrop grabbed the early lead as Ansley Gilreath's infield single to third base scored Westbrooks after she led off the inning with a single
• The lead didn't last long as the Bucs tied the game in the top of the second on an RBI single to center by Koger
• The Bucs had a runner in scoring position when Caitlyn Emberson hit a flare to left but Watson ran it down to make the sliding catch and keep the game tied
• Watson led off the bottom of the second after her big catch by taking the first pitch over the fence to left for her second career home run for a 2-1 lead
• In the top of the fifth the Bucs took a 3-2 lead on a two-run homerun by Emberson
• Emberson hit what looked like a fly ball as Watson, playing left field, continued to back up toward the wall and reached up as she looked to have caught the ball but hit the wall at the same time and couldn't hold on as it fell over for a homerun
• The Eagles nearly tied the game in the bottom half of the fifth as Lowers doubled to left center with one out to get things started
• Blake Wallert followed with a single to left and Lowers came racing home but was called out on a close play at the plate to keep the Bucs ahead by a run
• Burleson nearly missed putting the Eagles in front in the bottom of the sixth in a pinch-hitting role again as she ripped a shot that just went foul before going over that would have been a three-run shot
• Burleson eventually walked to load the bases for Ashley Westbrooks, who just missed a big hit of her own down the left field line
• Westbrooks ripped a line drive to the left field corner that short hopped the wall but just inches foul and two pitches later flied out to right to end the threat
• The Bucs added insurance in the seventh inning as Jade Gandara hit an 0-1 pitch over the wall in center for a two-run shot and a 5-2 lead
• Kiley Majette took the loss after allowing five runs (four earned) on 11 hits with no walks and six strikeouts to fall to 6-5
• Holly Clark pitched a complete game allowing two runs on eight hits with two walks and four strikeouts to improve to 6-5

 
EXTRA BASES

• Westbrooks finished with three hits in the first game of the doubleheader, which was her second three-hit game of the season
• Shroades went 3-for-3 at the plate in the first game, which is a career-high in hits for a game and her second multi-hit game of her career
• Burleson's two-run pinch-hit single in the first game of the doubleheader was her second straight game with a pinch-hit that drove in two runs as she belted a two-run homerun Friday night in the series opener
• The Westbrooks single to lead off the first inning in game two of the doubleheader extended her hitting streak to six games
• Lowers double in the fifth in game two of the doubleheader extended her hitting streak to eight games
• Westbrooks and Shroades led the Eagles with four hits in the two games while Lowers had three
• It is the third straight year the Eagles have won their Big South home-opening series

 
ON DECK
The Eagles step away from league play for a doubleheader at Southern Conference foe Western Carolina on Wednesday, Mar. 21 at 4 p.m.