ROCK HILL, SC— Winthrop softball split a doubleheader with Coastal Carolina as it bounced back from a 3-0 loss in game one to win 11-3 in five innings of game two, Tuesday afternoon at Terry Field.
GAME INFORMATION
RECORDS: Winthrop (13-13), Coastal Carolina (17-17)
WINTHROP LEADERS: Blake Wallert (3-for-7, 2R, 2B, Grand Slam, 5RBI),
Ashley Westbrooks (4-for-6, 3R, 2B, HR, 3RBI),
Madyson Watson (5IP, Win, 0BB, 4K)
COACHES QUOTE
Head Coach Mark Cooke~
"After not hitting the ball well in the first game, walking two and giving up a base hit. I thought when we got behind 3-0 I thought the kids continue to really battle and showed what they are made of. Then we scored eight runs in the bottom of the fifth to put it away. I think the key to the whole game was the squeeze bunt Kiley laid down. That caught everyone off guard and kept our momentum up. We went ahead, relaxed and swung the bats. I felt like the second game was a complete game and showed how we can play. It's great to play a team like that and run-rule them, I mean it's always good to run-rule anyway. That's a good ball club over there, that's a quality win for us."
WHAT HAPPENED
Game 1
- After five scoreless innings the Chanticleers struck first with a run in the top of the sixth
- The first two batters of the inning drew walks before Sabrina Shroades was able to get a force out at third for the first out
- The next batter, Kailey Mellen stepped in and singled to score Natalie David from second for the 1-0 lead
- After Mellen stole second to put runners at second and third, Kiley Majette entered the game in the circle and worked the Eagles out of the jam
- With two outs in the top of the seventh, Courtney Dean took a 1-1 pitch over the fence in left center for a two-run shot and insurance runs for the Chanticleers
- Shroades took the loss after allowing one run on two hits with six walks and a strikeout in 5.1 innings to fall to 2-4
- Coastal's Kaitlin Beasley-Polko kept the Eagles to just three hits while walking none and striking out four
Game 2
- Eagles trail 3-0 after two and a half innings as Natalie David hit a two-run homerun in the top of the first and Kassidy Smith hit a solo shot in the third
- Ashley Westbrooks led off the third with a double to right center and moved over to third on a sacrifice bunt from Morgan Lowers
- Westbrooks then scored on a grounder to third by Blake Wallert as she was off running on contact and slid under the tag to trail 3-1
- The Eagles tied the game in the fourth inning on a two-run homerun by Westbrooks with two outs
- Madyson Watson pitched a 1-2-3 top of the fifth to keep the momentum going for the Eagles
- Winthrop posted eight runs in the bottom of the fifth, which was capped off by Wallert's walk-off grand slam to right
- Wallert led off the inning with a single up the middle to get things started and found herself on third after a wild pitch and a single to left by Keleigh Romine
- Majette stepped up to the plate and laid down a squeeze bunt as Wallert scored and everyone was safe
- Romine and Majette moved over on a wild pitch and two batters later Jesse Burleson hit a two-run pinch-hit single to left center to make it a 6-3 lead for Winthrop
- Westbrooks made it 7-3 with an RBI single by Westbrooks before Wallert stepped in and hit her third home run of the season and first career grand slam over the right field fence
- Watson earned the win in the circle after allowing three runs on six hits with no walks and four strikeouts to improve to 4-3
EXTRA BASES
- Romine extended her streak of reaching base to 10 straight
- Lowers hitting streak came to an end at 11 games after going 0-for-3 in the first game of the doubleheader
- The five RBI by Wallert is a career-high while Westbrooks drove in three for her 5th multi-RBI game of the year
- Westbrooks tied her career-high of three runs scored and now has a team-high 14
- The 11 runs scored in the second game was a season-high for the Eagles
ON DECK
The Eagles are back in action at home Wednesday night at 6 p.m. when they host ACC foe North Carolina on Terry Field.
