Winthrop earned a 9-6 win against Bucknell on March 8 in the final game of the Winthrop Invitational, breaking a tie with three runs in the sixth inning.
The game was closely contested, with both teams exchanging leads through the early innings. The Eagles improved their record to 14-11, while Bucknell fell to 1-16. Tia Beckham led Winthrop offensively, going four-for-four at the plate with two runs scored, three doubles, and two runs batted in. Rebecca Amos contributed three hits and a run, while Peyton Bryden added a double and two RBI. Darrah Nickens also had a strong performance with two hits, including a home run.
Bucknell took an early lead after capitalizing on a fielding error in the first inning. Winthrop responded quickly as Amos singled and later scored on Beckham’s double. The Bison regained control in the third before Bryden’s two-run double and Nickens’ RBI single put Winthrop ahead. Home runs by Regan Powell and Skye Perez helped Bucknell retake the lead in the fourth and fifth innings.
Nickens tied things up for Winthrop with her sixth home run of the season in the bottom of the fifth. Beckham then doubled and eventually scored on a wild pitch to even the score at six apiece. In the sixth inning, Beckham delivered another RBI double to give Winthrop a one-run advantage before Grayson Buckner’s single extended it further. A throwing error allowed Beckham to score again for a final margin of 9-6.
Beckham recorded her first four-hit game of this season and second of her collegiate career. Addison picked up her eighth pitching win of the year after providing four innings of relief work, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out four batters.
Looking ahead, Winthrop will travel to Clemson on Tuesday, March 10 to face nationally-ranked Clemson at 6 p.m.
