Gamecocks Claim Carolina Classic Championship

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — No. 17 South Carolina softball scored five runs in the top of the first and never looked back on its way to an 8-1 victory over North Carolina to take home the tournament championship in the Carolina Classic on Sunday at Anderson Stadium. The Gamecocks scored six runs through the first two innings and finished with 10 hits to close the weekend with three wins.
 
For their efforts over the course of the weekend, Kassidy Krupit was named the tournament’s MVP while Mackenzie Boesel was named to the All-Tournament Team.
 
“I liked the response,” head coach Beverly Smith said. “Our team came out and started fast. That was one of the goals we set for the day and I thought they competed well.”
 
South Carolina (12-3, 0-0 SEC) used a combination of small ball and Tar Heel errors in the first inning to jump out to an early lead. Kenzi Maguire’s bunt single, coupled with a throwing error at first, scored a run and quickly advanced runners to second and third with no outs just three batters into the contest.
 
Two batters later, a Krupit single down the line in right field scored two and pushed the Gamecock lead to 3-0 with no outs. Another bunt single paired with a North Carolina throwing error, this time from Maddie Gallagher, eventually scored Krupit and made it 4-0 in favor of the Garnet and Black.
 
Zoe Laneaux’s RBI on a ground out gave Carolina its eventual 5-0 lead through one.
 
The Gamecocks continued the scoring in the top of the second with Boesel’s 31^st career home run to give South Carolina a 6-0 lead through two. 
 
North Carolina’s lone run came in the bottom of the third with a sacrifice fly out to left field to cut the Carolina lead to 6-1, but the Gamecocks responded in the fifth thanks to Katie Prebble’s two-run home run that pushed the score to an 8-1 advantage the Gamecocks wouldn’t surrender.
 
Leah Powell (3-0) earned the win in the circle in three innings of work. She had two strikeouts. Kelsey Oh earned the start, going two innings with two strikeouts. Bailey Betenbaugh also pitched two innings with a strikeout.
 
Krupit posted a 2-for-4 line with a run scored and two RBI. Boesel was 2-for-4 with two runs and a home run. Maguire also had a 2-for-4 day with two runs scored and a double.
 
NOTABLE

• Kassidy Krupit was named the tournament’s MVP while Mackenzie Boesel was named to the All-Tournament Team.
• The Gamecocks had a bend but don’t break performance today as the Tar Heels left seven runners on base through the first four innings of play.
• Sitting at 12-3, this is the seventh time in the past 11 seasons Carolina has won at least 12 games through the first 15 on the schedule.
• The win on Sunday was the Gamecocks first since 2006 in Chapel Hill against UNC.
• South Carolina is now 345-223 in 11 years under the direction of head coach Beverly Smith.