March 25, 2005

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Gamecock softball returns to action for the first time in 10 days as they travel to Auburn for a three-game series this weekend. The Gamecocks and the Tigers will begin with a 1 p.m. (ET) doubleheader on Saturday and a 1 p.m. (ET) single game on Sunday. USC is 20-12 and 5-3 in the SEC while Auburn is 30-9 and 6-3 in the SEC.

The Gamecocks have had their last three games cancelled due to rain and have not played since March 15 when they hosted No. 4 Tennessee. Game three against the Lady Vols, and a doubleheader against Coastal Carolina that was scheduled for Tuesday of this week, were all rained out.

This marks the second meeting for USC and the Tigers this season. The two teams met earlier in the month at the Buzz Classic in Atlanta, Ga. Auburn won the game 6-4. Last year, the Tigers swept USC for the first time and currently has a four-game win streak against the Gamecocks. For the series, USC leads however, 16-8. At Auburn, USC leads 9-2 and in Columbia, the Gamecocks lead 7-3. At neutral sites, Auburn leads 3-0.

Auburn is coming off of a 2-1 series loss to Alabama earlier in the week but has won series against Arkansas (3-0) and Ole Miss (2-1). The Tigers are second in the West while the Gamecocks are currently fourth in the East.

Holly Curries leads Auburn at the plate and in the circle as she has a .413 batting average and in 25 appearances, has a 1.60 ERA with a 13-5 record and 159 strikeouts. Currie also has a team leading 45 hits and 39 RBIs. Beth DiPietro is Auburn’s winningest pitcher as she boasts a 15-4 record in 26 appearances, including the 6-4 win over the Gamecocks.

The Gamecocks are looking to snap a two-game losing streak. Meghan Cornett continues to lead the Gamecocks as she is has a .390 batting average. Jessica Josker leads the team in hits with 42 while McKenna Hughes leads in home runs with six, runs scored with 21 and RBIs with 25. Melanie Henkes will shoot for her tenth win of the season while Kate Pouliot hopes to extend her 5-4 record.

As a team, Auburn is hitting .309 while USC is hitting .278. The Gamecocks have a team ERA of 2.50 while the Tigers’ is 1.88.

All games can be followed live via live stats or audio Internet broadcast on uscsports.com.