April 9, 2011
by Koby Padgett
Assistant Media Relations Director
FARMVILLE, Va. – Stranding nine runners in the contest, South Carolina (19-19) dropped the first game of the doubleheader, 3-1, at Longwood (20-8) on Saturday afternoon at Lancer Field.
Sophomores Samie Garcia and Hannah Milks both had two hits, with Milks posting a double. Senior Laura Mendes drew two walks and drove in a run, while junior Molly Brossart also walked twice. Tricia Nelson was the only Lancer to post two hits in the contest, going 2-for-2.
Longwood got on the board in the first with two home runs. Brooke Short took the first pitch she saw out to right center, scoring Maggie Margadonna after her one-out walk. After a foul out, Ashley Kramer stepped up and drove one over the wall in left, giving Longwood the 3-0 lead.
South Carolina cut the lead to 3-1 on Mendes’ sacrifice fly in the third. With runners at second and third and one down, Mendes sent a flare down the right-field line that the first baseman Short caught over her shoulder. The alert junior Lauren Lackey sprinted home and scored on the play.
The Gamecocks had a golden opportunity to tie things in both the fifth and sixth. In the fifth, South Carolina loaded the bases with two down, but a grounder to the third baseman ended the frame. An inning later, the Gamecocks had runners at second and third with one down. But Longwood starter Briana Wells got two strikeouts to escape the sixth without damage.
Junior third baseman Kelley Dillon made a great play to help keep the Lancers at bay in the fifth. With runners at second and third and one down, Dillon fielded a ground ball from Margadonna, tagged the runner trying to dive back to third and threw to first for the double play to end the inning.
Wells (17-8) won the game, giving up one earned run on five hits and five walks, tossing 122 pitches in the complete game. She struck out three. Audrey Broyles (4-6) took the loss, giving up three earned runs on three hits and a walk in two innings.
