Gamecocks Take Down Georgia State
COLUMBIA, S.C. —- No. 16 South Carolina softball jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in a 7-3 victory over Georgia State on Wednesday night at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field. The Gamecocks scored four runs thanks in part two home runs in the bottom of the first as they earned their fourth win in their last five games.
Carolina hit back-to-back home runs for the third time this season as Kenzi Maguire and Jana Johns blasted two shots just four pitches apart in the bottom of the first to help chase the Georgia State starting pitcher before she recorded an out.
With the win, the Gamecocks improved to 22-2 in nonconference games this season.
South Carolina (24-8, 2-6 SEC) came out of the gates swinging, scoring four runs before Georgia State could record an out.
The scoring started in the bottom of the first as Maguire blasted a ball off the scoreboard before Johns homered the next at-bat to give the Gamecocks a quick 3-0 lead. Cayla Drotar later plated a run with bases loaded to extend the lead to 4-0 heading to the second.
The scoring continued in the top of the third as Georgia State (5-27) showed fight, scoring three runs to cut the Carolina lead to 4-3 heading to the bottom frame.
Two more runs in the bottom of the third thanks to a Karly Heath double and Johns’ sacrifice fly out sent momentum back to the Gamecocks as the squad led 6-3 heading to the fourth.
Lauren Stewart scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth and the two teams traded scoreless innings in the fifth in sixth before Carolina closed out the 7-3 victory in the seventh.
Heath (7-0) earned the victory in the circle going 2.2 innings with a strikeout and just four hits. Drotar earned her fourth save of the year with five strikeouts.
Maguire, Heath and Stewart finished the night with two hits as the Gamecocks posted 10 on the night. Maguire finished with a game-high two RBI.
- Kenzi Maguire hit her fifth home run of the season tonight in the bottom of the first. That number is notable because she had four total her first three years in Columbia.
- Carolina hit back-to-back home runs for the third time this season with a pair in the bottom of the third. The other two times came against Winthrop and No. 24 Ole Miss.
- South Carolina has now won four of its last five games. During that stretch Alyssa Kumiyama has led the way with a .417 batting average with five RBI. Lauren Stewart, Kenzi Maguire and Cayla Drotar are just off with four runs batted in themselves.
- Free bases have been a big part of the last five games for Carolina. As a team, South Carolina has earned 19 of them.
- As a team, the Gamecocks are now hitting .310 with 99 RBI in games at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field this season with 13 wins.
