Winthrop’s softball team participated in the Charlotte First Pitch Classic, which was hosted by the UNC-Charlotte 49ers in Sue M. Daughtridge Stadium. The tournament lasted from Sunday, Feb. 24 to Monday, Feb. 25 and allowed the Lady Eagles to play three games, in which they earned one win and two losses.
The Eagles began their play in Charlotte with a 6-2 win over Youngstown State University on Sunday afternoon. They wasted no time on offense as senior center fielder Morgan Lowers homered to left field, scoring two runs. Lowers, who was just named one of two “Eagles of the Month” by Winthrop Athletics for the month of February, leads the team with three homeruns this season.
“Coach Thees has really taught me to throw my shoulders and not go downhill or dip with my back shoulder,” Lowers said. “That’s really, really helped me focus on line drives and sometimes hit them over the fence when I get lucky,” she said with a laugh.
Junior Madyson Watson started on the mound for the Eagles’ first game, pitching three and one-third innings and allowing two runs. Kiley Majette, a senior, entered the game to pitch the remaining three and two-thirds innings, allowing no runs and earning the win. Winthrop’s two pitchers gave up only six hits and combined for eight strikeouts on the day.
In their second game on Sunday, the Eagles faced the 14th best team in the country, the University of South Carolina. The Gamecocks’ dominance was evident very early in the contest and lasted the entire game.
Freshman Bella Roy was first to toe the rubber against the nationally ranked team, giving up seven runs off seven hits and three walks in just two innings. Sabrina Shroades, a junior, came in as relief to Roy, but allowed the Gamecocks to score eight more runs off nine hits and one walk. Both Eagles only recorded one strikeout each.
The Eagles tremendously lacked offense against South Carolina, as they only earned three hits in just 18 at-bats. However, they also only collected three strikeouts, all of which came in the first two innings). Winthrop was defeated 15-1 in five innings.
Winthrop took on UNC-Charlotte on Monday afternoon, but again could not keep up. After a promising first inning by the Eagles in which they took a 1-0 lead, things quickly went downhill.
Majette took the mound for the second time during the tournament, pitching four complete innings and part of a fifth, which was not finished. Majette produced five strikeouts but gave up eight hits, resulting in nine runs with seven earned.
The Eagles only recorded four hits, led by junior Ashley Westbrooks who had two. Winthrop also had two fielding errors, which contributed to the 49ers’ offensive success.
Through the month of February, the Lady Eagles are 7-6, but they have plenty of games remaining. Their first conference series will be at Campbell University on March 9-10, before they have their first series at home on March 15-16 against the Longwood Lancers.
