Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop softball split on Saturday with a 3-1 loss to North Carolina before capping off the day with a walk-off 2-1 win over North Carolina A&T.
GAME INFORMATION
RECORD: Winthrop (2-2) | North Carolina A&T (0-4) | North Carolina (4-0)
WINTHROP LEADERS: Paige Rivas (5-for-8, 3R, 2B, 3B, 2SB) |
Ashton VanHouse (2-for-5, RBI, BB, SB, SAC) |
Megan Powell (CG, W, 4H, R, 3BB, 9K / 1-6)
WHAT HAPPENED
vs. North Carolina
- Eagles threatened in the bottom of the first inning
- KaDedra Temple walked with two outs and moved third on a single down the right field line off the bat of Grayson Buckner but were unable to get a run
- Tar Heels took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third as Alex Coleman scored from second on a two-out single to center from Autumn Owen
- Winthrop tied the game in the bottom of the third inning as Paige Rivas led off with a single and moved to second on a single by Ashton VanHouse
- Temple laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position
- Grayson Buckner stepped up and laid down a squeeze bunt as Paige Rivas raced home
- Buckner was safe at first after the first baseman failed to pick up the ball when tagging Buckner
- Buckner stole second to put two runners into scoring position but the Eagles were unable to manage any more runs
- Tar Heels reached on a fielding error to lead off the seventh inning, putting Destiny Middleton on first
- Carsyn Snead followed with a bunt single to put two on
- Coleman singled to center to score Middleton, but the Eagles threw out Snead after she overran second on the play
- Two batters later Owen line a shot to third base that just hit off the outreached glove of Temple and down the line to plate another run for a 3-1 lead
- Reese Basinger tossed a complete game allowing one earned run on nine hits with a walk and four strikeouts
vs. North Carolina A&T
- Eagles struck in the bottom of the first as Paige Rivas led off with a single
- Rivas stole second and moved to third on a ground out
- After Temple walked, Buckner lined out to short and a throw to third to try and get Rivas was high as she tagged and scored on the play
- In the fifth inning the Eagles loaded the bases with two outs, but were unable to add to their lead
- Aggies tied the game in the top of the sixth as Shandi Brown led off with a single and eventually scored on a passed ball
- Megan Powell recorded a 1-2-3 seventh that included two strikeouts to set the stage in the bottom of the seventh
- With one out, Paige Rivas hit a soft liner down the left field line and raced around first to stretch it into a double
- VanHouse hit a shot to left that was tailing in the wind as the North Carolina A&T leftfielder tried to chase it down but couldn't hold on as she reached out and fell to the ground
- Katriel Williams bounced up quickly and fired a throw home as Rivas headed toward the plate
- Rivas slid and just beat the tag to give the Eagles a walk-off victory
- Powell tossed a complete game allowing no earned runs on three walks and nine strikeouts for her first victory in the circle as an Eagle
EXTRA BASES
- Paige Rivas had an infield single in the bottom of the first against N.C. A&T and has a hit in all four games this season (five-game hitting streak dating back to 2023 season)
- She was 4-for-4 in the game against the Aggies as it was the second 4-hit game of her career
- VanHouse had a steal vs. the Aggies and now has 51 in her career, moving into a tie for 5th on the all-time list
- Rivas moved into the Top 10 all-time in stolen bases and now sits 10th with 44
ON DECK
Winthrop will be on the road for the first time this season when it heads to Greensboro, N.C. on Wednesday, Feb. 14 to take on UNC Greensboro in a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m.
For everything Winthrop softball visit
www.winthropeagles.com or follow us on social media @Winthropsoftbal, winthropsoftball (Instagram) or
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