PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Junior Emily Winstead fashioned the fifth no-hitter in UNCW softball history with five hitless innings at Drexel and was supported by four home runs in the Seahawks' 15-0 rout of the Dragons at the Drexel Softball Field on Saturday.

The Seahawks (26-19, 15-8 CAA) secured a berth in the 2024 Coastal Athletic Association Championship, to be played at Boseman Field, with the shutout win over the Dragons (14-27, 9-13 CAA).

Winstead (11-16) faced one batter above the minimum with the lone base runner being Drexel's Lily Meuninck on a hit-by-pitch to start the bottom of the second. The no-hitter featured nine strikeouts. Winstead is the first Seahawk to accomplish the feat since Peyton Jordan in 2017.

The Seahawks matched a season-high with 13 hits courtesy of 10 different players, including five combined from Mackenzie Amodeo (3) and Mary Sobataka (2). UNCW's 15 runs are the most since 2021 and their seven runs in the third inning are the most in an inning this season.

UNCW, leading 2-0 entering the third, started the six-hit, seven-run frame with two straight singles by Skylar Stockton and Morgan Britt along with an Allison Corbin hit-by-pitch to load the bases with no outs.

First baseman Lauren Cope stepped to the plate and then smashed the first pitch she saw over the center field wall for a grand slam and her first home run of the season. Sobataka then worked a six-pitch at-bat and deposited a solo homer of her own to make it 7-0.

Drexel's Natalie Alldred entered the circle in relief of starter Allison Hoppe (4-10) and was greeted by Amodeo, who made it three straight home runs with a missile over the left field wall.

Center fielder Cassidy Relay continued the scoring with an RBI single to plate Tayler Vitola, who worked a five-pitch walk and stole second to set up Relay's RBI opportunity and for a 9-0 lead.

The Seahawks added a run in the fourth and then put up a five-spot in the fifth that was started by freshman pinch-hitter Averie Daughtry's first career home run that also scored Britt. A pair of errors led to another run and Amodeo added to the tally with an RBI single up the middle.

Freshman Ava Tsiouplis, pinch-hitting for Madison Biddle, singled up the middle on a 2-2 count to make it 15-0.

Winstead fanned Ashley Errico to start the bottom of the fifth, induced a fly out and then caught Devyn Demchak looking on a 1-2 count to lock up the no-hitter and CAA berth.

The Seahawks will go for the series win on Sunday at Noon.