Winthrop Survives Rally, Edges Gardner-Webb, 2-1, In Wednesday Action
April 10, 2014 | Softball
ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Jessica Childers (Jacksonville Beach, Fla.) and Jill Blank (Leola, Pa.) each tallied two hits, and Samantha Meenaghan (Atlantic Beach, Fla.) added two base knocks of her own to extend her hitting streak to nine games, as Winthrop rallied for a 2-1 victory over Gardner-Webb in Big South Conference play on Wednesday evening.
Childers pitched a gem for Gardner-Webb's (11-29, 1-11 BSC) holding Winthrop (22-19, 10-8 BSC) to two runs on three hits as the Runnin' Bulldogs plated one run on nine base knocks. Meenaghan, Childers, and Blank each collected a pair of hits in the contest, as Megan Champion (Knightdale, N.C.) drove in her 14th run of the season.
Mel Andrea paced Winthrop with a pair of hits, including a go-ahead solo home run in the fourth inning, as Naomi Stevens added a base knock of her own. Sara Allen got the start for Winthrop, earning the victory while allowing one run on nine hits and striking out five in six and one-third innings. Sutton Watson retired the final two batters with back-to-back strikeouts to earn the save.
Gardner-Webb opened the scoring in the top of the first, taking an early 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Champion following a lead-off base knock from Meenaghan. Winthrop answered in the home half of the first, evening the tally at 1-1 on a sacrifice fly by Megan Winningham after Stevens led off the inning with a triple.
The Eagles took their first lead of the evening in the bottom of the fourth, when Andrea launched a 1-0 pitch over the wall in left to give Winthrop a 2-1 advantage. Gardner-Webb fought back in the fifth, putting runners on the corners with no outs courtesy of a Blank single and an Eagle error. Allen and the Eagles would rebound with three straight outs, throwing out the lead runner at home for the second out before retiring the final batter on a liner to first.
Gardner-Webb continued to put pressure on the Winthrop defense in the sixth, leading off the frame with back-to-back singles by Gibbons and Childers before stranding the tying run at second on an inning-ending fly to left.
The Runnin' Bulldogs would threaten again in the seventh, loading the bases with one out following back-to-back singles by Pridgen and Meenaghan and a fielder's choice by Kellie Beres (Greenville, N.C.). Watson then entered in relief, shutting the door and earning the save with a pair of strikeouts to close out the one-run victory.
Gardner-Webb is back in action on Friday, traveling to Lynchburg, Va. to open a Big South series against Liberty with a 2:00 pm doubleheader. The teams will conclude the series with a single game on Saturday at 1:00 pm.
| Box Score: Winthrop 2, Gardner-Webb 1 |
