Gamecocks Secure Third Place Finish In SEC
May 6, 2018
LEXINGTON, K.Y. –No. 12 South Carolina softball split a Sunday doubleheader against No. 20 Kentucky to secure a third-place finish in the SEC. The Wildcats opened the day with an 8-4 win before the Gamecocks salvaged the series finale with a 9-3 win thanks in large part to a seven-run third inning.
Carolina’s offense came alive in the third inning of the series finale, blasting three-straight doubles and four-consecutive RBI hits at one point along with two home runs to jump out to a 7-0 lead through three.
Cayla Drotar (19-5) earned the win in the circle going five innings with just two runs allowed.
The third-place finish is the Gamecocks’ best SEC finish in the Beverly Smith era while the 15 SEC wins is tied for the fifth most in South Carolina history.
South Carolina (43-13, 15-9 SEC) came out swinging in the series finale, knowing a win would secure a third-place seed in the SEC Tournament and a first-round bye next week.
While the offense got good looks the first two innings, it came alive in the third as consecutive doubles from Kenzi Maguire, Mackenzie Boesel and Cayla Drotar gave the Gamecocks a 3-0 lead with no outs. Alyssa VanDerveer continued the scoring the next at bat with an RBI single to make it 4-0 Carolina.
Two batters later, still with no outs, Kennedy Clark blew open the game with a two-run home run to make it 6-0 Carolina before Alyssa Kumiyama homered the next at bat to make it 7-0 Gamecocks through three.
The Gamecocks added their eighth run in the fourth as Maguire scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-0 Carolina through four.
Kentucky battled in the fifth, cutting the Gamecock lead to 8-2 before Carolina got one back in the sixth with Clark’s RBI single to make it 9-2 Gamecocks heading to the bottom of the sixth.
The Wildcats added one more in the sixth to make to make it 9-3 but it wouldn’t be enough as the Gamecocks shut the door in the seventh to earn the victory.
Carolina finished the game with 12 hits from eight different batters. Maguire, Boesel, Drotar and Clark accounted for multi-hit performances.
In the first game of the day, Carolina looked poised for a comeback in the third. After the Wildcats scored one in the first and second inning, VanDerveer blasted a two-run shot in the top of the third to tie things at 2-2 through three.
Kentucky would respond in a big way, though, as the Wildcats scored six in the fourth to take an 8-2 lead it wouldn’t surrender.
Carolina scored one in the sixth and one in the seventh but it wouldn’t be enough as the Wildcats secured the series win and a spot in the SEC Tournament next week.
The Quotes
Beverly Smith on getting the series finale win to secure a third-place finish — “I’m proud of this group. Getting a first round bye in the SEC Tournament was a goal for this group from the beginning of the year. They earned their right to it. It wasn’t easy. We played a tough Kentucky team this weekend and I’m glad they could secure the third-place finish.
Beverly Smith on finishing third and the team’s belief in each other all year — “They’ve gone by the motto ‘why not us’ all season long. They’ve put in the time, the work and they certainly have the talent. Lucky for me they have more belief in each other than they do the polls.
Kennedy Clark on the third-place finish — “We’re very excited that we finished third. It just shows the hard work we put in this season. With what people thought we were going to do this year, I’m glad we were able to prove them wrong and showed what South Carolina softball can do.
Notes
- With today’s action, Carolina moved to 43-13 (15-9 SEC) on the year. The 43 wins are the most in the Beverly Smith era, as are the 15 conference wins. Carolina has earned 40 or wins in a season for the first time since 2003.
- In the top of the third, Alyssa Kumiyama blasted Carolina’s 59th home run of the year. That’s just one back of tying the Carolina record for homers in a season set in 2015.
- With 30 double plays on the year, the Gamecocks have set a new single-season record and have the sixth most ever in a season in the SEC’s history.
- With a homer this weekend, Alyssa VanDerveer is now one away from tying Alaynie Page for the most in a season, which was set in 2015. She’s 11 back from tying Page’s record for career home runs at Carolina.
Up Next
No. 12 South Carolina continues its season into the postseason starting Thursday in the second round of the SEC Tournament. Times and opponents will be announced later.
