ROCK HILL, S.C. (March 26, 2024) – Behind a complete game effort by
Whitley Arnott, the ETSU softball team earned a split in a non-conference doubleheader at Winthrop on Tuesday afternoon from Terry Field in Rock Hill, S.C. After being edged 5-3 in the opener, Arnott held the Eagles to one run with six strikeouts as ETSU returned the favor with a 2-1 victory in the nightcap.
With the split, ETSU snapped a nine-game losing skid as the Bucs moved to 5-18, while Winthrop, who was coming off a series win over Gardner-Webb last weekend, dipped to 15-19.
Tuesday's second game featured nine combined hits, while the Blue & Gold plated their two third-inning runs without a base knock. The Bucs loaded the bases with
Jasmine Sanchez leading off the frame with a single, followed by
Cameron Young – who belted her first home run of the season in game one – earning a walk and
Riley Nayadley reaching on a bunt single. From there, Sanchez sprinted home on a wild pitch and Nayadley charged home on a sacrifice fly RBI by
Faith Adams.
The two runs were just enough for Arnott to earn the win.
Arnott worked out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the third as she left the Eagle runners stranded with an inning-ending strikeout, while working around a leadoff double an inning later. Winthrop's lone run came off a one-out home run by Reese Basinger in the fifth, but Arnott retired eight of the final nine hitters to end the game – keeping the one-run lead intact.
Arnott, who tossed 117 pitches, limited the Eagles to the one run on five hits with six strikeouts (one walk) en route to improving to 2-2 on the season. MacKenzie Smith (0-2) took the loss as she allowed two runs on four hits with three strikeouts (two walks) in seven innings.
Joining Sanchez and Nayadley with hits in game two were
Taylor Suchy and
Maddison Stowell.
In the opener, ETSU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on a
Cameron Young sac fly RBI and tied the game at 3-3 on Young's home run in the fifth; however, Winthrop plated solo runs in the fifth and sixth innings to hold off the Buccaneer comeback, 5-3.
Young, Nayadley and
Brylee Mesusan – ETSU's 1-thru-3 hitters – combined to go 5-for-9 with three runs and three RBI. Mesusan, who went 2-for-3 scored on Young's first-inning sac fly and came home on Nayadley's RBI single in the third that pulled the Bucs within a run, 3-2.
Winthrop scored three runs in the second to grab the lead and plated the eventual game-winning run on Basinger's RBI single in the fifth.
The Bucs left seven runners stranded, including two runners each in the second and third innings.
Taylor Suchy suffered the loss (0-7) after allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits in the complete game effort. Suchy struck out seven and walked two. Megan Powell came out of the bullpen to earn the win (6-6) as she held the Bucs to one run on one hit in the final five innings.
The Bucs are back in action Wednesday when ETSU hosts Tennessee Tech in a solo game at 6 p.m. from Betty Basler Field.
For more information about ETSU softball, visit ETSUBucs.com and select softball.
