Oct. 26, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A perfect fall exhibition season is in the books, as South Carolina’s softball team finished out its schedule with sweeps of Erskine and Chattanooga State. Friday night saw the Gamecocks down the Flying Fleet, 3-0 and 7-0, at Beckham Field. On Saturday, the Garnet and Black squeaked past the Tigers, 2-1 and 6-5.

The Gamecock pitching staff dominated the Erskine games, with junior Ashley Chastain going six shutout innings in game one, striking out five in the win. April Borchardt got the save in the first, just walking one in her inning of work. Game two saw Kierstyn White toss four hitless innings, fanning five in the process. Junior Laura Mendes put the game out of reach with a two-RBI double in the second. Sophomore Evan Childs also had a pair of doubles during a 3-for-3 effort.

Chattanooga State held a 1-0 lead for most of the first game on Saturday before a Borchardt sixth-inning single tied it at 1-1. Borchardt drove in Briana Hamilton, who had reached on a two-out error. The Gamecocks put the game away in the seventh, as senior Lindsay Walker plated freshman Hannah Milks after she drew a leadoff walk. Chastain went the distance, allowing one unearned run on four hits and two walks while striking out six.

Game two against Chattanooga State saw the Gamecocks take a 4-3 lead in the third, with sophomore Lauren Lackey, Mendes, Hamilton and Childs all scoring in the frame. South Carolina added to the lead in the fifth on a Childs blast, her first of the exhibition slate. The Tigers got within one in the sixth, but the Gamecocks pushed the lead back to two on Mendes’ RBI single that brought in Lackey. Chattanooga State threatened in the seventh, scoring a run on a leadoff error and an RBI triple, but White got out of the jam with an infield fly, a strikeout and a groundout. White got the win, recording all the outs while giving up just two earned runs in the outing.

South Carolina starts the 2010 season at home, with full details coming later this week.