May 7, 2005
Columbia, S.C – In a game where three home runs scored four of the five runs, it was an RBI-single by South Carolina’s Jessica Josker that proved to be the winning run as USC defeated Mississippi State 3-2 in game one of the Saturday doubleheader. Senior Meghan Cornett hit her 18th career home run in the third inning and is now tied for third among USC’s all-time home run leaders.
Senior Aleca Johnson threw her sixth complete game of the season and improved to 7-7 while Stephanie Comeaux fell to 9-8 on the year. The Gamecocks recorded four hits and the Bulldogs registered six. Josker went 2-for-3 while Cornett, and Darcy Norem posted the other two hits for USC.
Jennifer Jessup got things started early for the Bulldogs as she led off the first inning with a solo home run on a 2-1 count to give MSU a 1-0 lead.
The Gamecocks took the lead in the third inning when Cornett blasted a two-run homer to left field and scored Josker to put USC up 2-1. Josker reached base when she broke up the no-hitter by Comeaux and singled to left field.
Callye Williams followed suit in the top of the fourth with a solo shot, the third home run of the game, and tied it 2-2.
In the bottom of the fifth, Chrissy Schoonmaker led off with a walk and Darcy Norem followed with a one out infield single to third base. During that play, Schoonmaker advanced to third on a throwing error by Tenelda McDonald. Josker then came through with a looper to left field and drove in Schoonmaker to give the Gamecocks a 3-2 lead. With Norem at second and Josker at first, reliever Kelli Miller then struck out the next two batters and got MSU out of the inning.
After the fourth, Johnson threw three perfect innings to seal the win for the Gamecocks. With the win, USC picked up its tenth conference win of the season.
