March 8, 2015
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 21/20 Missouri (12-3, 2-0 SEC), catapulted by a first-inning Amanda Sanchez grand slam, picked up a 9-3 win on Sunday night over South Carolina (17-7, 0-2 SEC) at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
Sanchez hit a 1-1 pitch over the left field wall in the first to make it 4-0 Missouri, following a single by Emily Crane, a double from Sami Fagan and a walk to Corrin Genovese. Fagan made it 5-0 after her leadoff homer in the third.
South Carolina got a run back in the bottom of the third when junior left fielder Alaynie Page doubled home junior right fielder Ansley Ard after her one-out single.
The Tigers posted two runs in both the sixth and the seventh. Fagan drove home Natalie Fleming before scoring herself on Genovese’s RBI single. Crane made it 9-3 with a bases-loaded single that scored two. The Gamecocks also plated two in the sixth, as sophomore Kaylea Snaer doubled home sophomore pinch runner Kate Shereyk and senior centerfielder Kristen Struett.
Tiger sophomore Tori Finucane (4-3) picked up the win with a 53-pitch, five-inning outing, giving up one earned run on three hits and two walks. Gamecock redshirt senior Julie Sarratt (9-4) took the loss, allowing seven earned runs on 11 hits and two walks in six innings. Both starters struck out four.
Game Changer:
The Gamecocks threatened in the third to score more than one, with runners at the corners with one down, but Missouri turned a double play on the grounder to short to snuff out the threat.
Key Stats:
Both Fagan and Genovese had three hits each in the win for the Tigers, Fagan adding three runs, two RBI, a double and a home run.
Notables:
• Struett went 2-for-3 to lead the Gamecocks.
• Both Page and Snaer had doubles for South Carolina.
• Crane went 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored.
• The contest was the second of the three-game series shown on the SEC Network
Up Next:
South Carolina and Missouri close the series with a special Monday night match-up, first pitch set at 7 p.m. for the SEC Network broadcast.
