Feb. 14, 2014
BOCA RATON, Fla. – South Carolina (4-2) fought back late but fell to Maryland (1-6) 8-4 in the final game of Friday’s action in the Florida Atlantic Strike Out Cancer Tournament at FAU Softball Stadium.
The Terrapins scored all eight runs in the first four innings. Amanda McCann walked to start the game and scored on Lindsey Schmeiser’s single to center. Kylie Datil singled home a run in the second before scoring the third Maryland run of the game on McCann’s RBI single. Juli Stange drove in a run to start the fourth on her fielder’s choice, and Schmeiser singled home two more with her shot up the middle. The final two runs scored on Courtney Beard’s single, with Schmeiser being awarded home after an obstruction call.
South Carolina mounted a comeback with in the fifth with a runner at first and two outs. Senior second baseman Dana Hathorn doubled, moving the lead runner to third, and both scored on junior centerfielder Kristen Struett’s triple. The throw from right went into the Gamecocks’ dugout on the play, giving Struett home and making it an 8-3 game.
In the sixth, the Gamecocks plate another run on back-to-back doubles by freshman first baseman Kaylea Snaer and junior catcher Sarah Mooney to make it 8-4. Two hit-by-pitches helped the Gamecocks load the bases with two down, but Maryland reliever Stephanie Bautista-Geiger got a strikeout to escape the jam that had the tying run at the plate.
Terrapin starter Kaitlyn Schmeiser (1-0) picked up the win with five innings of work giving up four runs, three earned, on seven hits and a walk. She struck out three. Gamecock freshman Nickie Blue (3-1) took her first collegiate loss, giving up eight runs, five earned, on seven hits and three walks in 3.2 innings. Redshirt junior Julie Sarratt came on and gave up one hit and two walks while fanning four in 3.1 innings out of the bullpen.
Snaer went 2-for-3 with two doubles in the win, while Mooney and Struett also had extra-base hits. McCann ranked as the only Maryland player with two hits, scoring two runs.
Maryland and South Carolina meet again on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. EST in the third day of the FAU Strike Out Cancer Tournament.
