April 19, 2013
AUBURN, Ala. – South Carolina junior third baseman Codee Yeske came through with a leadoff homer in the seventh, breaking a tie against Auburn (27-19, 6-13 SEC) and helping the Gamecocks (24-19, 3-13 SEC) take a 8-4 win from the Tigers on Friday night at Jane B. Moore Field.
Yeske launched the first pitch of the seventh over the scoreboard in left, giving South Carolina a 4-3 lead. That grew to 8-3 after two-out, two-RBI singles by redshirt sophomore pitcher Julie Sarratt and sophomore pinch hitter Olivia Lawrence. Both hits came after the Gamecocks loaded the bases. Auburn’s Brooke Lathan hit a homer with two down in the bottom of the frame to make the final score 8-4.
Auburn jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, with Lathan driving in the first run in the form of Emily Carosone on her triple to right center. Lathan scored on Caitlin Jordan’s RBI single.
The Gamecocks tied it in the third on junior second baseman Dana Hathorn’s two-out, two-run homer. That scored Yeske after she started the inning with a smash that went off the Tiger third baseman’s glove to the shortstop, whose throw ended up down the right field line after she corralled the deflection. Redshirt senior first baseman Kelley Dillon made a 3-2 Gamecock lead with her homer to straightaway center, the first of her South Carolina career.
The scored stayed that way until two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Kelsey Bogaards started the frame with a walk, moved to second on Caitlin Schultze’s sacrifice bunt and went to third on Branndi Melero’s grounder to second. Morgan Estell singled up the middle to plate Bogaards and tie the game at 3-3.
Sarratt (7-5) went the distance for South Carolina, striking out three while giving up four earned runs on eight hits and three walks. Marcy Harper (15-8) took the loss, allowing eight runs, six earned, on nine hits and three walks in 6.2 innings.
Hathorn and junior right fielder Chelsea Hawkins both had two hits for the Gamecocks, with Hathorn adding two runs scored and her two-run homer and Hawkins posting a double. Dillon and Yeske also homered for South Carolina. Lathan went 3-for-4 with a triple, a homer, two runs and two RBI for the Tigers. Jordan also had two hits and a RBI for Auburn.
The two teams meet again on Saturday, with first pitch set for 5 p.m. CDT to accommodate ESPNU’s national broadcast.
