Softball: Winthrop pulls another stunning upset

No. 20 seeds aren’t supposed to hang around in the state tournament for very long. But if you’re Winthrop and you play in the Northeastern Conference all season, that rule might not apply.The Vikings upended a second straight higher-seeded team on Saturday as they rolled to an 8-1 win over No. 4-seeded Mount St. Joseph’s in the first round of the Division 3 North tournament.Winthrop (11-11) pounded out 13 hits to put the hosts down for the count early. Haley Benson was 3-for-4 with two RBI to lead the attack. Ashley Fiandaca and Lindsay Barker each went 2-for-4 with two RBI.Angela Pettee went the first four innings, striking out five, to get the win. Elaine Lanza pitched the final three in relief, striking out five and allowing one earned run on two hits.The Vikings travel to No. 12 Austin Prep on Tuesday (4) for a quarterfinal-round game.Lincoln-Sudbury 1, Peabody 0At Sudbury, in a Division 1 North first-round game, it was a case of what might have been for the No. 9-seeded Tanners. Nicole Wilson held the hosts to five hits and one run but the Tanners could manage only three hits against Anna Balser to see their season end.”It was a great game,” Peabody coach Butch Melanaphy said. “They manufactured a run and that’s how they won.”Christine McEachern scored that run for the Warriors when she singled, moved to third on two bunts and scored on a fielder’s choice. Peabody’s hits came from Amanda Smith, Kailey Ryan and Ashley Bouchard. Smith’s was a first-inning double, but she was stranded at second.Danvers 5, Everett 0At Great Oak Park, in a Division 1 North first-round game, Diana Bean twirled a two-hit shutout as the Falcons (21-0) cruised into the second round against Lincoln-Sudbury today (4).Janelle Saggese led the offense, going 3-for-3 with an RBI. Logan Carabello was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI while Hannah Demirdogen and Alicia Dean each had two hits.