March 22, 2015
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Brianna Dozier stepped up with two outs in the seventh and gave No. 23/23 Texas A&M (23-7, 5-3 SEC) a 4-3 win with her walk-off homer in game one of the doubleheader against South Carolina at the Aggie Softball Complex.
The Gamecocks (21-11, 2-6 SEC) jumped ahead 2-0 on senior centerfielder Kristen Struett’s RBI double and sophomore right fielder Victoria Williams’ two-out single that scored Struett. The Aggies got a run back in the bottom of the first on Tori Vidales’ single, scoring Brittany Clopton after she reached first on a Gamecock error.
The Gamecocks added a run in the fourth on redshirt sophomore second baseman Lauren Masters’ leadoff homer.
The first five batters reached for Texas A&M in the fifth as the Aggies tied things at 3-3. Kristen Cuyos drove home the inning’s first run with her single to left, and a wild pitch let the tying run cross. That score held until Dozier drove the first pitch of her at bat over the right-field wall, handing the Aggies the victory.
Abby Donnell (2-0) captured her second win of the year with three innings of relief, scattering four hits while fanning two. Gamecock redshirt senior Julie Sarratt (9-6) took the loss, giving up four runs, three earned, on eight hits and three walks in 6.2 innings. She struck out two.
Game Changer:
Dozier’s walk-off came with the Gamecocks needing one out to force extra innings for the second time in the series.
Key Stat:
The Gamecocks won the hits battle for the second straight outing against the Aggies but lost, doubling the Gamecocks losses when winning the hits category.
Notables:
• Gamecock outfielders Alaynie Page and Struett both collected two hits, with Struett doubling.
• Alex Masek was the only Aggie with multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with a run scored.
• Six Gamecocks and seven Aggies had hits.
