April 10, 2013
COLUMBIA, S.C. – A stellar relief performance from freshman Katie Marks and a two-RBI triple from junior right fielder Chelsea Hawkins led South Carolina (21-17) to a 5-3 win in game two of Wednesday’s doubleheader over Coastal Carolina (23-17) in front of 737 fans at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
Marks (6-7) retired the first 10 hitters she faced in relief and did not allow a hit in 4.1 innings of work. She struck out three and got help from her defense, including a shoestring catch by sophomore centerfielder Kristen Struett to end the sixth and a double play to close the game that redshirt senior first baseman Kelley Dillon helped complete. The grounder went back to Marks, and Dillon threw behind the runner at second, who strayed too far from the bag and was called out to end the game.
Hawkins ranked as the offensive hero, posting her first career triple in the fourth with two outs on a 1-2 count, scoring junior second baseman Dana Hathorn and junior designated player Ashlyn Masters. Hathorn started the inning by getting hit by her 14th pitch of the year, while Masters walked after a fly out.
Coastal jumped on top in the first on Cacia Pierre’s RBI single, scoring Bri Chiusano after she started the game with a single to left. The Gamecocks came back to tie it in the bottom of the frame on Struett’s double, plating Hathorn after she singled with two down. That turned into a 2-1 South Carolina lead on junior third baseman Codee Yeske’s run-scoring hit, plating junior pinch runner Brooke Barnhill from third.
The Chanticleers tied it at 2-2 on Jessie Winans’ homer to lead off the third. Chiusano scored her second run with two down to give Coastal a 3-2 lead, coming across on Pierre’s single to left.
Freshman left fielder Alaynie Page gave the Gamecocks an insurance run with her fifth homer of the year with one down in the fourth.
Struett had a double and an RBI in a 2-for-4 night, while Yeske had her second-straight 2-for-3 outing. Hathorn scored twice, Dillon got hit twice in the game.
Ashley Bagwell (9-7) took the loss for the Chanticleers, giving up five runs, four earned, on eight hits and four walks in six innings. She struck out three.
South Carolina hosts Georgia in a three-game series that starts on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
