April 5, 2011
by Koby Padgett
Assistant Media Relations Director
April 5, 2011 • Columbia, S.C.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| Charleston Southern | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | X | X | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| South Carolina | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | X | X | 12 | 10 | 0 |
| Samie Garcia Post-Game Comments |
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina offense came to life on Tuesday afternoon, as the Gamecocks took home a 12-4 victory in five innings over Charleston Southern at Beckham Field.
Sophomore shortstop Samie Garcia led the Gamecocks (18-18), getting three of the club’s 10 hits in the contest, posting a double and three RBI to go with two runs scored and two stolen bases. Junior centerfielder Lauren Lackey went 2-for-2 with three RBI and a run, while freshman pitcher Julie Sarratt went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Junior first baseman Molly Brossart also doubled, while senior rightfielder Laura Mendes posted a triple.
The Gamecocks tallied two runs in the first, with Garcia scoring from second on an error by the Buccaneer second baseman. Lackey followed with a single to plate freshman second baseman Dana Hathorn. The Bucs cut the lead in half in the second thanks to a leadoff home run by Jana Matthews.
South Carolina responded in the third with four more runs. Mendes drove home both Garcia and sophomore leftfielder Hannah Milks with her triple to the gap in right. Lackey brought Mendes plateward with a sacrifice fly to center, while Brossart doubled in pinch runner Sarah Eidt after Sarratt’s two-out hit.
Charleston Southern responded again to cut the lead to 6-3 in the fourth. Jessica Brock lined a ball that just cleared the fence in left field with a runner aboard to halve the lead again. South Carolina’s lead shrank to two in the fifth when Trea Steele singled home Melissa Adams, who started the frame with a pinch-hit single.
But the Gamecocks ended things in the fifth. Lackey posted her third RBI with a single, driving home pinch runner Jackie Slawson. Sarratt followed with a double to left, allowing Hathorn to score again. Senior catcher P.J. Fulmer stepped up and stroked an RBI single through the right side, scoring Lackey. The Bucs walked Gamecock pinch hitter Kaela Jackson to load the bases, setting up Garcia for the finisher. The Downey, Calif., native sliced a double into left center, clearing the bases and closing the game.
Sarratt (5-5) picked up the win for South Carolina, allowing three earned runs on two hits and a walk while striking out three in four innings. Senior April Borchardt got her second save of the year, giving up one earned run on two hits and a walk in one inning. She struck out two. Kimberly Hobbs (10-9) took the loss for CSU, giving up 12 runs, nine earned, on nine hits and two walks.
The runs in the first snapped a 27-inning scoreless streak for the Gamecocks, the longest this season.
Tomorrow at Beckham Field, South Carolina matches up with North Carolina on Wed., Apr. 6. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. EDT as Gamecock head coach Beverly Smith guides her team against her alma mater for the first time.
