Feb. 26, 2006
Columbia, S.C. – After being halted in the top of the seventh due to rain, the South Carolina vs. Fordham game resumed play Sunday morning and the Rams pushed through to a 4-3 victory over the Gamecocks at the Gamecock Invitational. A solo home run by Laura Klaiber in the top of the eighth inning lifted the Rams to their first victory of the season. The Gamecocks fell to 8-5 while Fordham improved to 1-3.
Christie Hamilton (5-3) took the loss for the Gamecocks after coming in for relief in the fifth inning. Hamilton pitched four innings and gave up one run on four hits and struck out seven. Sara Kinney (1-3) picked up the win as she pitched six innings, gave up three runs and struck out two.
The Gamecocks had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the seventh when Whitney Wierzbicki led off with a walk and advanced to third with two outs. The Garnet and Black could not follow through as Lisa Longo flied out to left field to end the inning and strand Wierzbicki at third.
In the eighth, Klaiber took the wind out of the sails for the Gamecocks as she led off with a solo home run deep to centerfield and put the Rams ahead 4-3. Hamilton gave up another single before she struck out the next three batters to end the inning. Hamilton led off the Gamecocks’ eighth at the plate with a sharp single down the third base side to give USC the tying run on base. Margeret Person came in to run for the Gamecocks and advanced to second on a sac bunt by McKenna Hughes. With just one out, Ashley Smith flied out deep to left field and Becky Martinez fouled out to first base to end the game.
The Gamecocks took a 2-0 lead in the first inning with an RBI double by Jessica Josker. Josker eventually scored the second run of the game when she scored from third on an error by Fordham.
The Rams scored three more runs in the second and fifth innings to go up 3-2. Ashton led off the fifth with her third hit of the game and eventually scored her second run of the game to tie it for USC 3-3. The tie would remain until the following day when the game was resumed in the top of the seventh.
Melanie Henkes made the start for the Gamecocks and gave up three runs on four hits in four innings pitched. Payne scored two of USC’s three runs and went 3-for-4 at the plate.
