April 24, 2010
ATHENS, Ga. – South Carolina mounted a furious comeback in the rain-marred first game of the series against No. 12/10 Georgia, but the effort fell a run short in the 9-8 loss to the Bulldogs on Saturday at the Georgia Softball Stadium.
After a four-hour, 23-minute rain delay interrupted the contest in the bottom of the fourth with Georgia on top, 4-3, the teams had an offensive explosion, with both squads posting five runs over the final three innings. Junior P.J. Fulmer tied the game at 4-4 on a 1-0 pitch, hitting the offering off the top of the scoreboard in left field in the fifth.
Georgia retook the lead in the sixth on a towering two-run home run by Megan Wiggins, scoring Taylor Schlopy after her one-out triple. Three more Bulldog runs came in the sixth, Kristyn Sandberg had an RBI double, while pinch runner Sara Sikes scored on a wild pitch later. Laura Trout ended the Bulldog scoring with her double to left center.
The Gamecocks made things very interesting in the seventh. Senior Adele Voigt drew a bases-loaded walk from Georgia reliever Alison Owen to force home sophomore Evan Childs. After a strikeout, sophomore Kandyce Redondo had a pinch-hit, two-RBI double down the left field line to make it a two-run game. Junior Laura Mendes served a pitch to left to score Voigt and put the tying run at third with just one down. But Owen got a pair of fly balls, one in the infield and one on the edge of the warning track, to close out the game for her second save of the season.
Prior to the rain delay, the Gamecocks held a lead after loading the bases in the first. Fulmer singled home Mendes, who started the game with a walk. Georgia answered with two in the bottom of the frame, as Alisa Goler drew a bases-loaded walk ahead of Sandberg’s RBI fielder’s choice.
The Bulldogs made it 4-1 in the third on Goler’s two-out, two-run home run to right center. South Carolina closed the gap back to one on freshman Hannah Milks’ bases-loaded walk and Childs’ RBI single in the top of the fourth.
Mendes and Fulmer had two hits and two runs apiece, with Fulmer adding two RBI. Schlopy led the Bulldogs with a 2-for-2 outing, walking twice and scoring three runs.
Erin Arevalo (18-5) picked up the win in relief, going 4.2 innings while allowing six runs, five earned, on six hits and three walks. She struck out four. Owen allowed one run on two hits and a walk in an inning of work for her second save. Junior Ashley Chastain (4-15) took the loss, giving up nine runs, seven earned, on seven hits and two walks in five-plus innings in the circle.
South Carolina batters drew eight walks on the day, the most of any game this season. But the Gamecocks stranded 10 runners in the affair.
Game two started on Saturday evening but only four outs were recorded before the rain moved back into the Clarke County area, halting play. The game will be resumed at 12 noon on Sunday, with the final game starting approximately 20 minutes after the conclusion of the suspended affair.
