March 5, 2003

Columbia, S.C. – The 13th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks improved to 14-5 for the year as they defeated the Virginia Cavaliers 4-1 and 2-0 Wednesday night. Freshman Melanie Henkes (7-1) recorded her seventh win for the season while sophomore Aleca Johnson (1-1) made her second start of the season and earned her first victory. Senior Danielle Quinones hit her second home run of the season, the team’s 13th on the year.

In game one, Quinones’ two-run shot put Carolina on the board when she hit the scoreboard in the second inning for her fourth career home run. USC had three players hit doubles, including Debralee Troesh’s RBI drive in the fifth and Kim Evan’s RBI drive in the sixth. Henkes pitched her sixth complete game of the season and allowed one run on three hits.

The Gamecocks two runs in game two came off of RBI-triples by Evans in the fifth and Troesh in the sixth. The two triples were the first this season for Carolina. Johnson pitched four innings and gave up four hits while Stacey Johnson entered the game in the fifth inning and earned her second save of the season. Johnson gave up no hits or walks in three innings pitched.

Carolina recorded four runs and three hits off of Virginia’s Johanna Barstad (2-3) in game one and two runs and five hits off of Erin Horn (3-5) in game two. USC held Heather Field, the Cavaliers leading hitter, to 0-6 on the night. Heather Larquier, UVA’s leading home run hitter, combined for 3-for-6 on the evening. Larqier hit a double in the seventh inning of game one to drive in Virginia’s lone run of the evening.

The Gamecocks open SEC play this weekend when they welcome Mississippi State for a three-game series. Saturday’s doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. while Sunday’s single game also starts at 1 p.m.