April 13, 2006
CONWAY, S.C. – A two run home run by pinch hitter Brittany Nelson in the bottom of the seventh lifted the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers to a 2-1 victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks in game one Thursday. Jessica Josker scored USC’s lone run on a fielder’s choice RBI by Chrissy Schoonmaker in the sixth.
Christie Hamilton took the loss as she surrendered the long ball and fell to 12-10. Hamilton pitched 6.1 innings, gave up three hits and struck out eight. Christine Doyle improved to 12-6 as she gave up three hits and struck out five.
Carolina took its 1-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh before Nelson came in to pinch hit for right fielder Carla Hood. With one out, Nelson hit a home run to left field for her fifth of the season. The Chants had a runner at first when lead off batter Kim Cillis struck out but reached safely on a wild pitch prior to Nelson’s hit and led Coastal to the 2-1 victory.
USC scored in the top of the sixth to break up the scoreless game. The Gamecocks had the bases loaded with no outs and McKenna Hughes hit a grounder to first but the pitcher, Doyle, threw out Margaret Person at the plate on a force out. Schoonmaker then stepped to the plate and hit a grounder to short and recorded an RBI on a fielder’s choice when she drove in Josker for the 1-0 lead.
Hamilton had had a rocky start in the first inning but settled down after she struck out Cillis to end the inning. From there, Hamilton retired the next 14 straight batters before Coastal nabbed another hit. Glynn Tolleson hit a one-out single in the sixth to record Coastal’s second of the game.
Josker, Lisa Longo and Jacqueline Wetherbee registered the three hits for USC. USC falls to 24-21 and Coastal improved to 27-19.
