April 24, 2007
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The 22nd-ranked Florida Gators scored in six straight innings to establish an 8-0 lead over the South Carolina Gamecocks in game one of a Tuesday doubleheader. The Gamecocks fall to 32-17 and 10-11 in the SEC, while the Gators improve to 38-18 and 11-10 in conference play.
Melissa Hendon (16-12) took the loss as she gave up eight runs on 13 hits, including two home runs. Stacey Nelson (24-11) held the Gamecocks to just two hits as she recorded her 24th victory of the season. Overall, the Gamecocks managed just three hits off of the Gator pitching staff as Stacey Stevens pitched 2.2 relief innings to close out the contest.
Ashton Payne accounted for two of the three South Carolina hits, her 14th multi-hit game of the season, as she recorded a single off of both pitchers. Payne led off the first with a sharp slap to shortstop and the Gamecocks were held hitless until McKenna Hughes hit a single in the fourth inning with two outs. Payne recorded her second hit, a single in the sixth to represent the Gamecocks’ fourth and final base runner of the game.
Florida posted its first run of the day in the second inning on an RBI-single by Kim Waleszonia and tacked on two more runs in the third with a two-run home run by Melissa Zick, her ninth of the season. After extending its lead to 5-0 in the fourth, the Gators registered their second homer of the game in the fifth when Corrie Brooks hit a solo shot to left field to make the score 6-0.
The Gators tallied two more runs in the final two innings for a final of 8-0 as the Gamecocks were shutout for the eighth time this season. Hendon gave up a season high, 13 hits, to Florida and the Gamecock defense had two errors. The eight runs was the most surrendered by the Gamecocks since game two against No. 5/6 LSU on April 6.
Florida 8, South Carolina 0 (Apr 24, 2007 at Columbia, S.C.) (Game 1)
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Florida…………. 012 211 1 – 8 13 0 (38-18, 11-10)
South Carolina…… 000 000 0 – 0 3 2 (32-17, 10-11)
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Pitchers: Florida – STACEY NELSON; STEVENS, St(5). South Carolina – Melissa Hendon.
Win-STACEY NELSON(24-11) Loss-Melissa Hendon(16-12) T-1:52 A-0
HR UF – MELISSA ZICK (9); CORRIE BROOKS (1).
