Gamecocks Take Down Florida To Open Series

GAINESVILLE, Fla. —- South Carolina softball earned its first win in Gainesville since 2002 with its 2-1 victory over No. 3 Florida on Friday night. Freshman Leah Powell went the distance in the circle to earn Carolina’s first win in the series since 2013.
 
With the game tied at 1-1 heading to the top of the sixth, Kenzi Maguire doubled to open the frame before Mackenzie Boesel singled up the middle the following at-bat. Maguire slid around the Florida catcher on the play at the plate to score the winning run in the 2-1 series opener.
 
Powell (8-2) was magnificent in the circle. In seven innings of work she allowed just four hits and one run, which came in the bottom of the first, to help Carolina to its third conference win of the season.
 
Carolina jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to timely hitting at the top of the lineup. Maguire and Boesel singles to start the game were followed with Cayla Drotar’s one-out single to push across the first run of the game.
 
The Gators scored their lone run of the game in the bottom frame to tie the opener at 1-1 before Powell retired 12-consecutive batters after a single to start the top of the third. Florida did not have a runner reach base in the fourth, fifth or sixth inning.
 
After the single to start the top of the third, Florida had just two batters reach base over the final 17 at-bats of the game.
 
Maguire and Boesel shined at the plate as the duo both produced a 2-for-3 night. Maguire finished with two runs while Boesel had an RBI. Cayla Drotar finished 1-for-3 with an RBI while Riley Blampied was also 1-for-3.
 
NOTABLE

• South Carolina earned its first win in the series since 2013, snapping a losing streak of 12-straight games to the Gators. It was their first win in Gainesville since 2002.
• The score of the last Carolina win in the series? 2-1, as well.
• If the Gamecocks were to take two this weekend, it would be their first series win here since they took three out of four in 1999. The only other series South Carolina has won at Florida? 1997 when it took all four games in the first meeting between the two schools.
• Mackenzie Boesel posted her 20^th multi-hit game of the year in the Friday night win. It was her sixth of the year in SEC play. Her career best for SEC multi-hit games is nine (2018) while her career best in multi-hit contests for an entire season is 21 (2018).
• Through 42 games, she leads the Gamecocks in multi-hit contests with 16 two-hit games and four game with three hits.