UNCW Softball outlasts #1 Campbell in CAA tournament 2-1
Junior pitcher Emily Winstead's complete game secured by senior shortstop Mary Sobataka's solo shot in the 7th
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WWAY) – The UNCW softball team now controls their own destiny in the conference tournament. The #4 seeded Seahawks took down top-ranked Campbell 2-1 on Thursday.
“We had a really tough series with Campbell in the regular season,” said head coach Ashley Wade. “We knew there was some things in that series we should have done differently to make us more successful… We knew it was going to be a close game and it came down to the little things and executing in the clutch moments.”
Senior shortstop Mary Sobataka hit a solo shot in the top of the 7th that was a no doubter. That gave UNCW a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish. The other run came in the first inning. Freshman Cassidy Relay scored on a Skylar Stockton double before the senior was thrown out trying to get to third.
Sobataka said Thursday’s home run ranks “very high” on her career moments. She adds as soon as the ball left her bat for the homerun hit, she looked at the dugout and knew it was gone.
“That was fun. It was a big time moment. When you have five years of experience, sometimes you understand how to make the big moments a little bit little,” said the senior shortstop. “That was a moment where you need to stay composed and let ‘the work’ do its thing.”
Former CAA pitcher of the Year Emily Winstead threw a gem; the junior went the distance for the Seahawks for the ninth time this season. The righthander allowed one run on six hits and a walk and struck out eight.
“This is giving me flashbacks of my freshman year when we made this kind of run,” said Winstead. in 2021, the Seahawks made their first-ever NCAA regional. “This was one of the first time this year when I went out there and played with no fear. My teammates 120% had my back defensively and hitting.”
“Having teammates coming up to me in the dugout giving me the support … it’s just so much fun to be out there with them. We are on a high. We are peaking right now.”
UNCW will take on the winner of Stonybrook and Delaware Friday at noon.
