April 30, 2011
by Koby Padgett
Assistant Media Relations Director
April 30, 2011 • Columbia, S.C.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| Florida | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 0 |
| South Carolina | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Highlights |
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina (25-26, 6-18 SEC) held a lead through four innings, but No. 5/7 Florida (42-8, 17-7 SEC) finished with a flurry to take a 6-1 win over the Gamecocks on Saturday afternoon in front of 654 fans at Beckham Field.
The Gamecocks posted their run in the first when senior designated player drove a ball into the right-field gap, scoring sophomore shortstop Samie Garcia after she started the inning with a base hit.
But the Gators would take over from there, as pitchers Stephanie Brombacher and Hannah Rogers allowed just two more hits in the contest. It took till the fifth for Florida to score, as the Blue and Orange tied the game when Cheyenne Coyle got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, forcing home Brittany Schutte. The Gators took the lead in the sixth on a sacrifice fly from Megan Bush, her second of the series. Schutte pushed the lead to four with her three-run homer to left-center.
Florida added its final run in the seventh on a Bush RBI single, scoring Michelle Moultrie.
Rogers (26-5) got the win with her three innings of relief, allowing a hit while striking out two. Gamecock freshman Julie Sarratt (8-8) was charged with the loss, giving up five earned runs on five hits and four walks in two innings out of the bullpen. In all, the Gamecocks walked 11 batters, but they did force Florida to strand 14 runners on base.
Schutte drove in three with her homer and scored twice on a 2-for-4 day. Moultrie also had two runs scored in the contest, while Bush drove in two. Mendes had the Gamecocks’ only extra-base hit, the RBI double in the first. That double moved Mendes into a tie for 10th all-time at South Carolina with Andrea Beall, who tallied 36 doubles from 1989-92. Garcia, senior catcher P.J. Fulmer and junior centerfielder Lauren Lackey all had singles.
Prior to the game, South Carolina honored its senior class of April Borchardt, Ashley Chastain, Fulmer, Mendes and manager Justin Corley. Chastain drew the start and tied her season high with three strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work. Borchardt pitched the last 1.1 innings, fanning one while giving up three hits and an earned run. Both Fulmer and Mendes were hit as well to go with their 1-for-2 performances.
The series wraps on Sunday at 12 noon between Florida and South Carolina, with SportSouth televising the contest from Beckham Field.
