No. 13 Gamecocks Drop Pair of Top-20 Matchups

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – The 13th ranked South Carolina softball team (8-4) dropped a pair of Top-20 games Friday afternoon (Feb. 20) at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. The Gamecocks fell 9-1 in five innings to No. 10 Nebraska (7-4) and 2-1 to No. 18 Oregon (7-5).

GAME 1

The Gamecocks were limited to one run in the fourth on an Arianna Rodi home run that hit off the replica Green Monster in left field. The solo home run was her fourth of the season.

Nebraska scored four runs in the bottom of the third after a Carolina error started the inning. The Conrhuskers scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth to put the run rule into effect.

Nealy Lamb (0-1) took the loss striking out two while allowing two runs, one earned, on one hit in 2 1-3 innings.

GAME 2

Oregon scored its only runs of the game in the top of the second after a South Carolina error and a single.

The Gamecocks got on the board in the bottom of the fifth when Tori Ensley led off the inning with her third home run of the season.

Nealy Lamb entered in the sixth with the bases loaded and nobody out. She got out of the jam, retiring the next three Oregon batters.

In the sixth, a leadoff double from Quincee Lilio and an infield single from Karley Shelton put the tying run at second base, but that is where the rally would end.

Jori Heard (1-1) took the loss despite not allowing an earned run in five innings of work. Lamb was nearly perfect over the final two innings, striking out two and not allowing a hit.

Carolina wraps up the tournament tomorrow (Feb. 21) against No. 9 UCLA and Saint Mary’s beginning at 5:30 p.m. PT.

For the latest on South Carolina Softball, visit GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team’s social media accounts on Twitter @GamecockSoftbll, Facebook /GamecockSoftball, and Instagram @GamecockSoftball.