Feb. 25, 2007
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Junior pitcher Melissa Hendon pitched her third complete game of the season as she helped lead the South Carolina Gamecocks to a 3-1 victory over the Radford Highlanders. USC managed three runs on two hits to record their fifth straight win. Lindsay Walker and Ashton Payne accounted for the Gamecocks two hits.
South Carolina took advantage of free bases to score its runs. Ashley Taylor started the game for Radford and gave up two runs on one hit, four walks and three hit batters, in two innings pitched. Bre Felix relieved Taylor in the third and gave up one run on one hit in four innings pitched.
USC scored in the first inning after Walker got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring home Payne, who singled to lead off the inning. With the bases still loaded, Hendon reached on a fielder’s choice and the Highlanders got the second out by throwing out McKenna Hughes at the plate. Radford was still in trouble as RU catcher, Sarah Himan, attempted to make a double play at second and overthrew the ball and that allowed USC to score another run. Jessica Josker scored from third on the throwing error and put the Gamecocks up 2-0.
The Gamecocks added another run in the fifth when Josker reached safely on another Radford error and eventually scored on an RBI double by Walker. The run put USC up 3-0.
The Higlanders refused to go down in a shutout. With two outs in the sixth inning, Cassie Rhodes hit a solo home run to left center field and put RU on the board, 3-1.
Hendon retired RU in order in the seventh to close the book for the Gamecocks and improved to 3-0 at the tournament. South Carolina won their fifth straight game and improved to 13-2, while Radford fell to 2-1 at the tournament, 4-8 overall.
South Carolina 3, Radford 1 (Feb 25, 2007 at Columbia, S.C.)
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Radford…………. 000 001 0 – 1 7 2 (4-8)
South Carolina…… 200 010 X – 3 2 1 (13-2)
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Pitchers: Radford – TAYLOR, Ashley; FELIX, Bre(3). South Carolina – Melissa Hendon.
Win-Melissa Hendon(3-1) Loss-TAYLOR, Ashley(1-6) T-1:30 A-235
HR RU – RHODES, Cassie.
