ROCK HILL, SC—Home runs by Megan Chapman and Taylor Wright helped Winthrop to a 3-1 victory over Radford to earn a split in double-header softball action at Terry Field, Saturday afternoon. Radford won the first game 10-1.
The Lady Eagles improve to 24-21 overall and 7-6 in the Big South while Radford is now 30-13 overall and 15-2 in the league. The win in game one gave Radford the number one seed overall in the 2010 Big South Tournament in a couple of weeks as it clinched at least a share of first in the standings with Liberty.
After falling 10-1 in the first game, Winthrop bounced back for a 3-1 victory behind a couple of home runs and the pitching performance of Megan Evans. The senior lefty cooled off a Radford team that had 10 runs on 14 hits (five home runs) in the first game as she allowed one run on six hits with a walk and four strikeouts and is now 10-6 on the year.
Megan Chapman got things going right off the bat for the Lady Eagles and just as she did in the first game of the twin bill, she led off the first inning with a home run to left field. Chapman finished the day a perfect 5-for-5 from the plate with two runs and two RBI.
Evans cruised into the sixth inning with a 1-0 lead and Wright stepped in and led off with a solo shot to center field for her third of the year. Ashleigh Jackson singled to left field with one out and moved to second on an Ashlee Revell single. Evans stepped to the plate and singled to center field, scoring Jackson to help her own cause.
Radford added a run in the top of the seventh on an RBI ground out by Kristen Shifflett, who finished with two hits in the game. Kellie Snooks suffered the loss as she fell to 8-5 after allowing three runs on seven hits with no walks or strikeouts.
In the first game of the day, the Highlanders used the long ball for a 10-1 win. The 10 runs were the most allowed by Winthrop all season and most since April 6, 2007 when it defeated Liberty 12-11 in a series opener.
Radford took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as Shifflett led off the game with a home run to left and Hope Creasy singled to right with two outs to make it 2-0. Chapman answered right back for Winthrop with a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the first.
Nichole Beall hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning, Creasy led off the fifth with a solo home run, Sarah Himan hit a two-run home run in the sixth and Meredith more added to the total with a two-run homer in the seventh to provide all the offense for the Highlanders. The five home runs in a single game tied a school record.
Cari Wooldridge suffered the loss as she allowed eight runs on 12 hits with two walks and four strikeouts and is now 13-11 on the season. Chelsea Kelley earned the win for Radford as she allowed just one run on four hits with a walk and three strikeouts.
The two teams will wrap-up the three-game series on Sunday at 2 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPNU (Comporium Cable Channel 206).