April 6, 2008
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Melissa Hendon tossed a one-hitter to lead South Carolina to a 2-0 victory over Auburn in game one of the doubleheader on Sunday morning at Beckham Field. The Gamecocks move to 18-15 overall and 6-7 in Southeastern Conference play, while the Tigers fall to 31-10, 9-6 in league action.
Junior Ashton Payne had her third three-hit game of the season while continuing her hitting streak, now at seven games. Freshman Laura Mendes went 1-for-3 with a run scored, stretching her career-best streak to five games.
Carolina got all the runs it needed in the third. Payne led off the inning with a single and moved to second on Lindsay Walker’s sacrifice bunt. Mendes lined a single to left that Brittany Scott misplayed, allowing Payne to score. Jill Semento struck out but reached first on a wild pitch, setting up first and third for Becky Martinez. The senior singled back through the middle, plating Mendes from third. Relief pitcher Angel Bunner then came on and got out of the jam with a pop out and a groundout.
Hendon (8-8) pitched brilliantly, facing one batter over the minimum in the one-hit shutout. She struck out nine while not walking a batter, though she did hit one. Brittany Day (10-3) got the loss, allowing two earned runs on four hits and two walks while sitting down four in 2.1 innings.
