ROCK HILL, S.C. - Charleston Southern won a pair of tightly-contested Big South softball games Sunday, April 17 at Winthrop. The Bucs defeated the Eagles, 5-3, in game one before claiming a 2-1 victory in eight innings.

With the wins, CSU is now 19-27, 6-5 in Big South play on the season, while Winthrop falls to 14-27, 4-9 in conference contests. The Bucs move to third place in the Big South after Sunday's action.

Kimberly Hobbs struck out 12 batters in six innings of relief work on the day, surpassing the 100 strikeout mark for the season. Hobbs and Morgan Dowdy are the first pair of CSU teammates with 100 strikeouts in the same season.

CSU answered a three-run Winthrop third inning with four in the fourth, as Megan Lombard's three-RBI home run proved to be the winning hit in a 5-3 Buccaneer win in game one.

Morgan Dowdy yielded three runs on four hits in four innings, winning for the eighth time this season. Hobbs earned the save with three innings of four-hit relief, striking out seven batters. Chelsey Schoenfeldt (7-10) suffered the loss, giving up five runs on six hits in five and one-third innings.

Lombard batted 1-for-4 with three RBI on her seventh homer of the season. She has tied Jana Matthews for the season lead and her 19 career home runs are tied with Matthews for second all-time at CSU. Erin Kegley batted 2-for-4 for the Buccaneers, and Jasmine Conley added two RBI. Trea Steele doubled in the fifth inning.

Kelly Blea went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI for the Eagles. Veronica Berrie and Megan Chapman registered two hits apiece, while Schoenfeldt doubled and Brittany Stoudemire tripled.

Pitchers Dowdy and Schoenfeldt held the opposing offenses at bay for the first three innings, as Schoenfeldt allowed no hits and Dowdy yielded just two hits during that span.

Kegley singled with one out in the top of the fourth to break up the no-hitter. A pair of outs ended the at-bat. Stoudemire drove in Schoenfeldt with a one-out triple in the bottom half, and Blea followed with a two-run homer for a 3-0 Winthrop lead.

Steele doubled as the first batter of the fifth inning. Stephanie Sbardella followed with a walk. Conley subsequently plated Steele with a single, drawing CSU to within two at 3-1. Lombard entered the batter's box with two outs and slammed a home run to center field for a 4-3 lead, scoring Sbardella and Conley.

Hobbs came on in relief during the fifth, and struck out two out of the first three batters, working around a single in getting the Eagles out.

Conley batted in a sixth-inning insurance run, scoring Matthews with a bunt while reaching base herself. The Bucs took a 5-3 lead into the bottom half of the frame.
Winthrop registered a double and a single during the bottom half of the inning, but Hobbs struck out three Eagles, and added two K's in the seventh to finish the game with a three-inning save.

Game One Box Score

Winthrop took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the second game, and CSU tied to game at 1-1 in the fourth. The Buccaneers scored once in the eighth inning to earn the 2-1 win and sweep the doubleheader.

Dowdy pitched a strong five innings for CSU in game two, yielding just one run on three hits in five innings. Hobbs evened her season record to 11-11 with a hitless three innings of relief, fanning five batters. Natalie Becker drew the loss, falling to 4-9 by allowing two runs on seven hits, walking nine in the complete-game effort.

Jessica Brock batted 3-for-5 with one RBI, and Erin Kegley added an RBI in a 1-for-3 outing. Lombard extended her hitting streak to a career-best seven games.

The Buccaneers loaded the bases in three of the first four innings. With two outs in the top of the first, Brock singled. Matthews and Steele drew back-to-back walks, bringing up Sbardella, who struck out to end the rally.

Winthrop scored once in the bottom of the first inning. Chapman singled on a bunt to lead off, moved to second on an error and to third on a groundout. Chapman scored on a wild pitch with two outs, giving Winthrop a 1-0 edge.

Both teams went in order during the second inning, as Dowdy and Becker pitched effectively.

CSU threatened again with a third-inning rally. Kegley and Brock singled in that order, and Steele walked to fill the bases. Sbardella then grounded out for the third out. Dowdy continued to make quick work of Winthrop, with a three-up, three-down bottom of the third.

Kimberly Braxton walked to lead off the fourth inning. Lizzy Olmstead then recorded a bunt single. Kegley drew a two-out walk, and Brock followed with an RBI single, driving in Melissa Adams to tie the game at 1-1. Olmstead was thrown out at the plate trying to score from second on the Brock single.

Three scoreless innings ensued, forcing extra innings to be played. Hobbs entered the circle for CSU in the sixth inning and promptly struck out all three batters she faced during the at-bat.

The Bucs surged ahead with a run in the eighth inning, as Becker walked three batters. Kristin Kelleher drew a free pass with one out, and Hayes Holdsworth followed with a single. After a strikeout, Lombard walked to load the bases. Becker issued a base on balls to Kegley, scoring Kelleher for a 2-1 CSU lead. Brock grounded into a fielder's choice to close the top of the eighth.

Hobbs retired the side in the bottom of the eighth inning, sealing the 2-1 victory with two strikeouts to finish the contest.

Game Two Box Score

The Buccaneers and Eagles will complete the series with a single game Monday, April 18 at 5 p.m.