April 6, 2013
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina (19-15, 1-10 SEC) could not hold down No. 21/20 Kentucky (26-10, 7-4 SEC) in front of 1,000 fans at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field on Saturday afternoon, as the Wildcats claimed a 9-4 win.
Kentucky started the game by tallying a pair of runs in the first. Griffin Joiner singled home Christian Stokes after she got a one-out single and moved to second on a wild pitch. Joiner scored on a Gamecock error after Nikki Sagermann’s double moved her to third.
South Carolina answered with a four-run first. The first three Gamecock hitters all got hits, with junior second baseman Dana Hathorn’s scoring senior shortstop Samie Garcia after Garcia artfully danced around the tag on the inside of the baseline. Freshman left fielder Alaynie Page slid under the tag on the throw home on sophomore centerfielder Kristen Struett’s ground ball, tying the game at 2-2. Redshirt sophomore pitcher Julie Sarratt later gave herself the lead with a two-out, two-RBI single to left, scoring Hathorn and Struett.
The Wildcats tied things in the third on Lauren Cumbess’s two-run homer and retook the advantage in the fourth on Joiner’s sacrifice fly, scoring Maisie Steed after she reached on a one-out walk, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. Steed doubled home a run in the sixth, scoring Sylver Samuel after she reached on a bunt hit and stole second. Kentucky closed the scoring in the seventh on Ginny Carroll’s two-out, pinch-hit, three-run homer.
Kentucky freshman starter Kelsey Nunley (17-4) picked up her second complete-game win on the weekend, giving up four earned runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out four. Sarratt (3-3) took the loss, allowing five runs, four earned, on six hits and four walks in four-plus innings. She fanned three.
Sagermann and Cumbess both had two hits that included a double each, while Cumbess and Joiner had two RBI each. Hathorn went 2-for-4 with a stolen base, a run and an RBI, while Sarratt had two RBI. Struett also scored a run and drove one in.
The Gamecocks and Wildcats conclude the series on Sunday, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. EDT.
