Rock Hill, S.C. – The Le Moyne College softball team will head on their second road-trip of the season to take part in the Winthrop Garnet & Gold Tournament in Rock Hill, S.C. for the third consecutive year this coming Friday through Sunday, Feb. 13-15.
Tournament Opponents:
The Dolphins will compete in five games over the weekend beginning with a back-to-back day on Friday on Terry Field against Robert Morris University (0-0) at 12:30 p.m. and host Winthrop University (0-4) at 5:30 p.m..
The squad will play again on Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. against Kent State University (2-3) before taking on one of the same three opponents based on seeding at either 3:00 p.m. (#1 seed vs #4 seed) or 5:30 p.m. (#2 seed vs #3 seed) that night. Le Moyne will wrap up the tournament in another matchup based on seeding on Sunday with either a 10:00 a.m. or 12:00 p.m. start time.
Robert Morris will kick off their 2026 season slate at the Winthrop Tournament after going 30-18 overall and 16-7 in Horizon League conference action a season ago. The Dolphins will meet the Colonials for the first time in program history on Friday.
Winthrop opened the 2026 season in the Gamecock Invitational hosted by South Carolina on Opening Weekend, going 0-4 with losses coming at the hands of #19/#21 Virginia Tech, 1-0, Syracuse twice, 11-2 and 8-7 in eight innings, and host #12/#14 South Carolina, 18-0 in 5 innings.
The Eagles went 30-23 overall with a 10-8 mark in Big South play in 2025 and are 2-0 all-time against the 'Phins. They won their 2024 matchup in the Garnet & Gold tournament, 1-0, and the 2025 rematch, 3-1, on Feb. 21 last season.
Kent State sits with a 2-3 record after Opening Weekend this season, having played in the Terrier Invite hosted by Wofford in Spartansburg, S.C. last weekend. The Golden Flashes opened the season with an 11-10 win over IU Indy on Friday before later coming out on top against Monmouth, 9-0 in five innings, on Saturday. They dropped their second matchup with IU Indy, 9-8, and fell to Wofford twice, 11-1 in five innings and 10-4, to close out the invite.
The Flashes went 12-39 overall with a 4-22 conference record in the Mid-American Conference last season. They will meet Le Moyne for the first time in program history during the tournament this weekend.
Dolphins' Season:
Le Moyne is 1-3 on the season after coming away with one win in the Blue Hose Invitational hosted by Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C. during Opening Weekend last Friday through Sunday, Feb. 6-8.
The squad opened the invite with losses at the hands of Dayton (7-3) and Presbyterian (2-1) on Friday before coming out on top against Morehead State, 19-16, on Saturday. They closed out the weekend with a five inning 10-1 loss against Western Michigan on Sunday.
Four Le Moyne pitchers saw the field on Opening Weekend, with freshman Tatum Nessman (Calgary, Alberta / National Sport School) appearing in a team-high three games with one start. Nessman finished the weekend with a 3.60 ERA, allowing eight runs (six earned) on 15 hits and three walks with six strikeouts. She pitched a complete game against Presbyterian, allowing just two runs on five hits and one walk with five strikeouts and earned the win in 3.2 innings of action against Morehead State. Nessman was named the NEC Rookie of the Week on Tuesday, Feb. 10 for her performance over the weekend.
Sophomore Isabella Kwashek (West Deptford, N.J. / West Deptford) started two games during the invite, allowing 14 runs (nine earned) on 14 hits and two walks while striking out two in 6.1 innings pitched. Freshman Adrianna Laraway (Colonie, N.Y. / Colonie) started the final game of the weekend and allowed eight runs (seven earned) on six hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts in 3.0 innings.
Sophomore Danni Simpson (Marietta, Ga./Sprayberry) came in relief twice and allowed five runs (four earned) on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 3.0 innings in the circle.
Offensively, sophomore middle infielder Maddie Martin (Carlisle, Pa. / Cumberland Valley) slashed .600/.600/.600 in 10-at bats for a team-high 1.200 OPS. She also registered a team-high six total bases, scored three runs, and drove in one RBI. She added a team-best 3-3 mark in stolen base attempts and ranked second on the team with 14 put-outs through four games.
Junior utility player Shannon Gavigan (Havertown, Pa/Haverford) went 4-12 at the plate for a .333 batting average with an .817 OPS. She recorded five total bases and drove in a team-high four RBIs while adding a pair of walks, one sac fly, one stolen base, and coming around to score three times.
Both were named NEC Prime Performers on Feb. 10 for their outings during the invite.
What's Next:
Le Moyne will travel to Newark, Del. to play in five games in the Blue Hen Invitational hosted by the University of Delaware from Friday-Sunday, Feb. 27-Mar. 1.
