Feb. 19, 2010
| Coach Compton |
ORLANDO, Fla. – South Carolina kept its record perfect by winning its first game in the UCF Invitational over Florida A&M, 4-2, on Friday morning at the UCF Softball Complex.
Junior Laura Mendes led the Gamecocks (5-0) with two hits and an RBI. Sophomores Evan Childs and Lauren Lackey both stretched their hit streaks to five games with singles. Lackey, senior Adele Voigt, junior April Borchardt and freshman Briana Hamilton all scored runs, while Mendes, senior Lindsay Walker and sophomore Audrey Broyles added RBI. Tenisha Dixon and Arianna Stewart both had two hits for the Lady Rattlers (1-2), with Dixon scoring both runs.
The Gamecocks did all their damage in the third, loading the bases after a leadoff double by Hamilton, a single by Borchardt and a walk to Lackey. Broyles was brought on to pinch hit, and she drew the free pass to force home Hamilton. Mendes singled home Borchardt ahead of Walker’s sacrifice fly that plated Lackey. A passed ball brought home Voigt from third after the Gamecocks reloaded the bases.
Florida A&M struck first, scoring in the top of the first on Melissa Oliphant’s RBI single. After giving up the lead, the Lady Rattlers tried to get back in it in the fifth when Dixon scored on a Joyce Harold fielder’s choice. She reached on a single and moved to second as the lead runner Jasmin Donaldson was gunned down at third by Lackey from right. A wild pitch put Dixon on third, and she slid in around the tag on Harold’s groundball.
Borchardt (2-0) got the victory, tossing 4.1 innings and allowing two earned runs on six hits and two doubles while striking out three. Junior Ashley Chastain got her second save of the season with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief. Jennifer Lindsey got the loss for Florida A&M, throwing all six innings while giving up four runs, three earned, on six hits and two walks.
