April 21, 2007
Columbia, S.C. – Becky Martinez hit her first homerun of the season and Tori Martin scored the winning run on an error as the South Carolina softball team clinched the series against the Kentucky Wildcats with a 2-1 victory in the second game of a double header Saturday. Kate Pouliot recorded the win for the Gamecocks to improve to 14-4, and Melissa Hendon registered her second save of the season.
With the win, the Gamecocks improve to 31-16 overall and 9-10 in the SEC while the Wildcats drop to 19-23 and 4-17.
Pouliot struck out seven to get her first win since a 2-0 victory over Winthrop on March 7. The Gamecocks clinched their third conference series of the season with the win and will look for the sweep Sunday at 1 p.m.
For the second consecutive game, the lead-off batter for the Gamecock second inning hit a homerun, as Martinez hit her fourth career home run over the left field fence. Jessica Josker achieved the same feat in the first game of the doubleheader, with the blast also marking as her first of the season and fourth of her career. Both Martinez and Josker previously knocked three homeruns in 2005, with Martinez’s last homerun occurring against Kentucky on April 3, 2005.
The Gamecocks scored, what would be the game-winning run, in the bottom of the fourth when Adele Voigt stepped to the plate with two runners on and two outs. A fielding error by the third baseman allowed Voigt to reach first base and Martin scored from second to take the 2-0 lead.
Kentucky scored one run in the top of the sixth inning with an RBI single by Ashley Fertic, but Hendon came in and retired the next four batters to earn the save, her second of the season.
The Gamecocks and Wildcats will play the final game of the three-game series Sunday at 1 p.m. at Beckham Field.
South Carolina 2, Kentucky 1 (Apr 21, 2007 at Columbia, S.C.) (Game 2)
———————————————————————-
Kentucky………… 000 001 0 – 1 5 1 (19-23, 4-17)
South Carolina…… 010 100 X – 2 5 1 (31-16, 9-10)
———————————————————————-
Pitchers: Kentucky – Lindsay Brogdon. South Carolina – Kate Pouliot; Melissa Hendon(6).
Win-Kate Pouliot(14-4) Save-Melissa Hendon(2) Loss-Lindsay Brogdon(0-2)
T-1:24 A-478 HR SC – Becky Martinez (1).
