Feb. 14, 2010
Behind a two-run home run by senior Lindsay Walker, South Carolina (2-0) captured a second Sunday win in the Palmetto State Showdown by beating Winthrop, 6-4, in front of 253 fans at Beckham Field.
Junior Laura Mendes added a double and a triple with two RBI in the victory, while sophomore Evan Childs scored twice. Seven Gamecocks reached safely via hit, while all nine hitters had at least one during the day’s action.
The critical blow came in the fourth when Walker took a 2-2 pitch over the wall in left center, plating Childs after her leadoff walk. The blast was the fourth in Walker’s career.
Winthrop (0-2) broke through for its first run in the sixth when Pearl Colehill scored on pinch-hitter Kathryn Eberlin’s sacrifice fly. The Gamecocks got the run back in the bottom of the frame when junior P.J. Fulmer brought home freshman pinch-runner Hannah Milks with an RBI single.
The Eagles mounted one final comeback try, pushing across three runs in the seventh. Jenna Harbin scored from second after the first of two Gamecock errors in the frame. After a walk, Teja Durante hit a ground ball to second, but the throw in front of the runner was low and got away from South Carolina, allowing Megan Chapman to score. Durante scored on what was the final play of the game, as South Carolina got the groundout to the shortstop before mowing down Colehill trying to move from first to third on the 6-3-5 double play.
South Carolina scored in the first on Mendes’ two-RBI triple, which brought home sophomore Lauren Lackey and senior Adele Voigt, before adding a run in the second on Lackey’s sacrifice fly, which scored Childs.
Sophomore Audrey Broyles got the win in her 2010 debut, going five innings while allowing two hits and two walks against seven strikeouts. Junior Ashley Chastain came in to pick up the save, recording two outs on three pitches. Cari Wooldridge got the loss, allowing five earned runs on five hits and three walks in three innings.
South Carolina returns to Beckham Field for a 3 p.m. doubleheader against Longwood on Tuesday afternoon.
