March 28, 2004
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina softball (17-8, 6-6 SEC) fell short again on Sunday as they lost the third and final game of the series against the Auburn Tigers (26-4, 8-1 SEC) 6-5. The Gamecocks recorded five runs on eight hits while Auburn had six runs on eight hits. Stacey Johnson recorded the loss for the Gamecocks and fell to 9-3 on the season. Samantha Jennings hit her seventh home run of the season, 15th career, as she became the first player to hit a home run off of Auburn pitching this year. Kristin Keyes earned the victory and improved to 13-4.
Margaret Person went 3-for-4 and scored a run, while Jennings and Aleca Johnson each recorded two RBI’s. Melissa Sandel went 1-for-2 and scored two runs for the Gamecocks as well.
Auburn set the tone early in the game as they recorded four runs in the first inning. AU added another run in the second to take a 5-0 lead. The Gamecocks fought back by scoring two runs in the bottom half of the inning and cut the Tigers’ lead to 5-2. Meghan Cornett led off with a double to left field and Sandel singled up the middle to give the Gamecocks two runners on-base. Johnson then hit a standup double to left center field to drive home Cornett and Sandel for her first two RBI’s of the season.
Johnson then entered the game as the pitcher in relief for starter Stacey Johnson and she held Auburn hitless for 2.1 innings. During the fourth inning, USC scored another run to come within two runs, 5-3.
In the top of the seventh, Auburn led off with back-to-back hits and with two outs, Sara Dean singled to drive home Ashley Griffin and extended Auburn’s lead 6-3.
The Gamecocks continued to fight in the bottom half and with one out, Person reached safely on a bunt single and Jennings hit a home run, USC’s 25th of the season, to come within one run of the Tigers. The Gamecocks had at least two more attempts to keep the inning alive, but unfortunately fell short as a pop-up and strikeout ended the inning and the game.
