Feb. 21, 2015
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – Led by redshirt senior Julie Sarratt both at the plate and in the circle, South Carolina (11-3) downed No. 21/20 California 3-1 in Saturday’s action at the 2015 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic at the Big League Dreams Park.
After sophomore first baseman Kaylea Snaer singled with one out in the second, Sarratt followed with her first homer of the year, clearing the left field fence to hand the Gamecocks the 2-1 lead. That answered the Bears’ first inning, as Cheyenne Cordes drove in Britt Vonk with a two-out single.
The fourth saw freshman shortstop Kamryn Watts show off her glove skills. With one on, Watts ranged to her left on a grounder and turned a double play for the first two outs of the frame. With runners at the corners, she snagged one in the hole with a great backhand and threw out the Bears’ No. 2 hitter Reed to end the inning.
Junior left fielder Alaynie Page gave the Gamecocks an insurance run in the seventh with a two-out RBI single, scoring junior third baseman Jordan Bizzell after she doubled with one out and moved to third on junior right fielder Ansley Ard’s grounder to second.
Cal threatened in the seventh, getting two runners in scoring position with one out on singles by Jazmyn Jackson and Kylie Reed and a Gamecock error, the fourth of the game. Sarratt induced two infield flies around a hit batter to close out the game and the first win of 2015 over a ranked team.
Sarratt (5-2) scattered eight hits and struck out two in the complete-game win. The one run she allowed was unearned. Cal’s Katie Sutherland-Finch (4-1) also went the distance, giving up three earned runs on nine hits with two strikeouts.
Game Changer:
Sarratt’s one swing in the second put the Gamecocks ahead for good, and her arm kept Cal from getting on the board again.
Key Stat:
Sarratt induced a number of ground balls in the victory, with 14 of the outs came from the infielders.
Notables:
• South Carolina wins its first game over a ranked foe since last year’s 4-2, Senior Day win over No. 20 Auburn.
• Page continued her hitting streak to 13 games with her single to start the game and went 3-for-4 with an RBI.
• Sarratt’s second-inning blast, her first of the year, was her fourth-straight hit of the week.
• Cal’s Kobie Pettis went 2-for-3.
• The 2015 Gamecocks hold two wins over Pac-12 teams, the first squad to do that since 2007, when South Carolina beat Oregon twice to win the Columbia Regional.
• South Carolina hands California its first loss of 2015.
Tweet of the Game
@GamecockSoftbll Keep playing your best Gamecocks! Awesome win! #Fearless
— Lisa Robertson (@LRRob89) February 22, 2015
Quotable
Head Coach Beverly Smith
Tonight, Julie Sarratt shined, holding down an excellent Cal offense and giving herself a lift with a two-run home run. I was most impressed with our defense. I thought we played solid defense for seven innings. Kamryn Watts came up with some outstanding plays at shortstop. Overall, our team stayed focused and played pitch-to-pitch and put together an exciting ballgame.
Up Next:
The Gamecocks close out the West Coast trip with a 9 a.m. PST start against Big Ten power Northwestern.
