Winthrop softball earned its fourth consecutive Big South Conference series win after defeating Longwood 8-6 on Apr. 18 in Farmville, Virginia.
The result marks a significant achievement for the Eagles, who have now improved their conference record to 11-3 and overall season record to 26-19. This victory is notable as it is the first time since Longwood joined the Big South in 2013 that Winthrop has captured a conference series in Farmville.
Rebecca Amos led Winthrop by going two-for-three at the plate with two runs scored and two walks. Tia Beckham also had a strong performance, finishing two-for-three with two runs, two runs batted in, a home run—her tenth of the season—and a stolen base. Peyton Bryden contributed one hit, one run scored, and drove in two runs while drawing a walk and stealing a base.
The Eagles took an early lead in the third inning after capitalizing on walks and wild pitches. Amos raced home on a wild pitch for the game’s first run before Nickens scored following an error at shortstop. Carli Pearson drew another walk later in the inning to increase Winthrop’s lead to three.
Longwood responded by narrowing the gap during their half of the fifth inning but could not overcome Winthrop’s offense. In the sixth inning, Beckham hit her tenth home run of the year—a career best that ties her own single-season mark—making her only the second Eagle ever to achieve multiple seasons with double-digit home runs. The game ended with Longwood scoring twice more but falling short as Winthrop held on for an 8-6 win.
Game two was canceled and will not be rescheduled. Looking ahead, Winthrop will conclude its five-game road trip against Wofford College on Wednesday, Apr. 22.
