April 23, 2014
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Led by senior second baseman Ashlyn Masters’ 2-for-3, two-run outing, South Carolina (32-17) claimed a 5-1 win over South Carolina State (10-22) on Wednesday evening at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
Masters stood as the only player with multiple hits in the contest, hitting her third triple of the year to go with an earlier single. Sophomore left fielder Ansley Ard and junior first baseman/catcher Olivia Lawrence both homered as well for South Carolina.
The Gamecocks put two on the board in the third thanks to Ard’s two-run homer. That also scored Masters after she started the rally with her two-out single. Lawrence made it 3-0 with a solo homer to right center in the fourth.
South Carolina State scored a run in the top of the fifth on the first-and-third double steal. Unique Whitehurst and Jazmin Robinson posted consecutive bunt singles to start the inning, and Tiffany Harris got robbed of a hit when Gamecock senior shortstop Dana Hathorn dove across the second base bag, grabbing the ball and dragging her foot to get the force out. With runners at the corners, Harris went to steal second, but Hathorn tagged her out after junior catcher Sarah Mooney’s throw, but Whitehurst came home to put the Lady Bulldogs on the board.
Hathorn doubled to start the Gamecock half of the fifth, and Masters followed with a triple that glanced off the glove of the Lady Bulldogs’ centerfielder as she tried to make the over-the-shoulder catch. Masters scored on senior right fielder Chelsea Hawkins’ groundout to make it 5-1.
Gamecock junior Lakyn Shull (1-0) picked up the win, striking out four while giving up one run on four hits and two walks in five innings. Gamecock freshman Nickie Blue struck out the six hitters she faced to finish out the Gamecocks’ win.
SCSU’s Vianney Gomez (6-11) took the loss, allowing five earned runs on six hits and a walk in six innings. Cianna Burt and Kelsey Grochow joined Whitehurst and Robinson with hits for the Lady Bulldogs.
This game stands as the first in between the two programs separated by 43 miles. A paid crowd of 986 watched the event.
The Gamecocks host Longwood for a two-game series on Friday and Saturday. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. on Friday night, with Saturday slated for a 1 p.m. start.
