March 10, 2007
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – South Carolina scored six runs in the second inning to capture a 7-0 game two win over Arkansas Saturday for the series win. South Carolina improves to 22-3 overall and 2-0 in the SEC. The Lady Razorbacks fall to 10-16 and 0-2. Kate Pouliot recorded the win and is now 12-1, surpassing her career season best. Ashton Payne hit her first career home run and went 2-for-4 with three RBI. The Gamecocks will attempt the series sweep with game three of the set for Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET. The game can be followed live via audio internet broadcast and Gametracker at www.uscsports.com.
Lindsay Walker and Lisa Longo also went 2-for-4 at the plate and combined with Payne, accounted for six of South Carolina’s 10 hits.
The Gamecocks attacked the Razorbacks in the second inning and with one out, batted through the lineup. With Miranda Dixon in the circle, USC posted back-to-back singles by Walker and Longo, before Becky Martinez reached on an error to load the bases. Jacqueline Wetherbee was then hit by a pitch to score Walker for the first run of the game. Tori Martin continued with a two-RBI double and drove in Martinez and Wetherbee and the Gamecocks went up 3-0. The next big hit came when Payne belted a three-run shot to right field and put the Garnet and Black up 6-0. The home run was the first of Payne’s career and with the hit, she has now hit in 18 of 20 games she has played in this year.
After the home run, Arkansas changed pitchers and brought in Teighynne Hulsey. Hulsey hit the first batter she faced to give the Gamecocks another base runner, followed by singles by McKenna Hughes and Jessica Josker. Josker led off the inning and recorded the first out in her first at bat. The Gamecocks’ surge was put to a halt when Hulsey struck out the next two batters to get out of the inning.
South Carolina continued to control the game and added its final run in the third when Martin scored on an error by Kayla Johnson.
The Gamecocks scored six runs on four hits off of Dixon and one run and six hits off Hulsey. Hulsey also struck out eight Gamecock batters. Dixon took the loss and fell to 1-9 on the season. Pouliot gave up five hits and recorded her fifth shutout of the year.
With the win, head coach Joyce Compton is just three wins away from No. 1,000 of her career.
South Carolina 7, Arkansas 0 (Mar 10, 2007 at Fayetteville, Ark.) (Game 2)
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South Carolina…… 061 000 0 – 7 10 0 (22-3, 2-0)
Arkansas………… 000 000 0 – 0 5 3 (10-16, 0-2)
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Pitchers: South Carolina – Kate Pouliot. Arkansas – Miranda Dixon; Teighynne Hulsey(2).
Win-Kate Pouliot(12-1) Loss-Miranda Dixon(1-9) T-1:34 A-243 HR SC – Ashton Payne.
Game notes: This marks Pouliot’s career best in season victories.
