April 17, 2010
| Coach Compton |
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Sophomore Kaitlin Westfall hit a three-run home run to put South Carolina (11-32, 1-20 SEC) on top, and the Gamecocks held on to defeat Mississippi State, 8-4, in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader at Beckham Field.
Freshman Hannah Milks went 3-for-3 with three runs scored, tallying career highs in both hits and runs. Sophomore Evan Childs also posted a 3-for-3 effort with one run and one RBI. Junior catcher P.J. Fulmer went 2-for-3 with three RBI. Jessica Cooley went 2-for-2 with two runs scored for the Bulldogs (23-24, 4-15 SEC).
South Carolina took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth when Westfall cracked her second home run of the season. She blasted a pitch with two on and two out to hand the Gamecocks back the advantage at 6-3. The Garnet and Black added two insurance runs in the sixth on Fulmer’s two-out, two-RBI single.
The Bulldogs tried to come back in the seventh, getting a sacrifice fly from Ali Bainbridge. But Ka’ili Smith popped out to Gamecock pitcher April Borchardt (4-3) to close out the game.
Mississippi State tied it at 3-3 in the top of the fourth. Cooley tripled on a ball that hit the line in right field and scored on Jessie Spain’s sacrifice fly.
The Gamecocks went ahead for the first time in the third when Childs scored from second on a groundout after the Bulldogs tried to catch her moving to third and threw the ball up the left-field line.
In the first, Mississippi State got on the board with Smith’s two-run home run. The Gamecocks answered in the bottom of the frame on RBI singles from Childs and Fulmer.
Borchardt went the distance, giving up four runs, two earned, on four hits and four walks while striking out two. Stephanie Becker (3-5) took the loss, allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits while striking out one in relief.
Prior to the game, nearly 30 former South Carolina softball players were recognized as part of Alumni Weekend.
The Gamecocks and the Bulldogs play the rubber game of the series on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. EDT. It will be Senior Day at Beckham Field, as the Gamecocks honor Adele Voigt and Lindsay Walker prior to the game. SportSouth will televise the contest as well, with Dave Neal and Cheri Kempf describing the action.
