March 7, 2009
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Gamecocks forced extra innings after Jill Semento’s two-RBI double, but Florida’s Kelsey Bruder hit a two-run home run in the eighth to lead the second-ranked Florida Gators to a 4-2 win in the first game on Saturday afternoon at Beckham Field.
Florida (20-2, 1-0 SEC) started the eighth with a single by Kristina Hilberth, and she moved into scoring position on Aja Paculba’s sacrifice bunt. But the sac wasn’t needed, as Bruder drove the 1-0 pitch over the wall in left. The Gamecocks (12-3, 0-1 SEC) were sat down in order in their half of the eighth to end the game.
South Carolina tied up the game in the fifth thanks to Semento’s heroics. Junior Adele Voigt led off the inning with a single, but she was forced out on a freshman Lauren Lackey fielder’s choice. Gator starter Stacey Nelson (10-2) got a strikeout before sophomore Laura Mendes got a single through the right side. That brought up her classmate Semento, who smacked the 0-1 offering to left center, allowing both Lackey and Mendes to cross home.
In the third, Corrie Brooks got a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to score Ali Gardiner, who drew a one-out walk. Gamecock starter Audrey Broyles (6-2) got out of that jam when Megan Bush popped up to short.
The Gators executed a double steal to push their run across in the fifth. Francesca Enea drew a one-out walk, and pinch runner Lauren Heil stole her way into scoring position. South Carolina reliever Kelsey Goodwin got Tiffany DeFelice to fly out before Brooks moved Heil to third with her single. Florida then sent Brooks to second, and the Gamecocks threw down. Heil broke for the plate when the throw went to second and scored, while Brooks slid into second safely after a pair of throws in the rundown. Goodwin got out of the inning when Bush struck out swinging.
Broyles started the game and threw 72 pitches in the first three innings, allowing three hits and four walks along with one earned run. She came back in after a leadoff single in the seventh to throw 41 more pitches in the final two innings, giving up two earned runs on three hits and two walks. In total, Broyles struck out six. In the win, Nelson allowed six hits and two earned runs, walking one and fanning 10 in eight innings.
