March 3, 2013
STATESBORO, Ga. – South Carolina (12-3) put the finishing touches on a perfect weekend in the Eagle Classic, defeating defending Southern Conference champs and tourney host Georgia Southern (9-10) 7-2 in Sunday afternoon’s finale at Eagle Field.
The Gamecocks amassed six hits, one for six different players. Sophomore centerfielder Kristen Struett had a three-run homer, while freshman Alaynie Page scored three times and stole two bases. Junior second baseman Dana Hathorn drove in two runs, while Page and junior right fielder Chelsea Hawkins plated one each.
Page helped South Carolina take a 1-0 lead in the first. The freshman drew a one-out walk, stole second and moved to third when the throw went into center field before scoring later on Hawkins’s RBI single. Four more runs crossed the plate in the fifth for the Gamecocks thanks to an Eagle error. A dropped pop up allowed Page to reach with two down after freshman Lauren Masters got aboard with a one-out pinch hit. Hathorn drove in Masters with an RBI single, and Struett followed with a shot to left, her third homer of the year.
TThe Eagles tried to mount a comeback in the sixth, getting solo home runs from Lexi Allen and Kourtny Thomas to start the inning. But Gamecock redshirt senior pitcher Audrey Broyles (4-1) induced two groundouts around a foul out to get out of the inning.
South Carolina added insurance in the seventh when Page singled home shortstop Samie Garcia after the senior got a one-out hit, stretching her hitting streak to 15 games, and stole second. Page made it 7-2 when she scored on Hathorn’s RBI groundout.
Broyles struck out six and didn’t walk a batter in the four-hit complete game. Sarah Purvis (5-6) got the loss, allowing five unearned runs on four hits and three walks in five innings. She struck out nine.
The Gamecocks travel for one more non-conference tournament, playing on two different sites during the USF Under Armour Challenge next weekend in Tampa and Clearwater, Fla.
