Gamecocks Complete Comeback Bid in Sat.'s 7-5 Win at Arkansas
April 12, 2014
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Completing the comeback bid on Saturday, South Carolina (27-15, 7-10 SEC) scored the final five runs of the game to take down Arkansas 7-5 at Bogle Park.
After falling behind 5-2 after four innings, the Gamecocks drew within one in the fifth. With one out, both Ashlyn and Lauren Masters drew walks against Arkansas starter Sydney Wright. After striking out a Gamecock for the second out, Wright uncorked a wild pitch to put both Masters in scoring position. With first base now open, the Razorbacks elected to intentionally walk freshman first baseman Kaylea Snaer after her two-homer game on Friday night. The new Razorback pitcher Kimmy Beasley entered against junior centerfielder Kristen Struett, and Struett landed the 2-1 pitch from Beasley inside the right-field line, letting Ashlyn Masters score. Lauren Masters stopped halfway to the plate and retreated to third, getting in under the throw. Meanwhile, Snaer, who just vacated third, sprinted back to second, sliding in under a tag. Lauren Masters went home on that throw, scoring to make it a 5-4 game.
Senior shortstop Codee Yeske drew a one-out walk in the sixth, and sophomore left fielder Alaynie Page doubled to right center to put two runners in scoring position. Ashlyn Masters followed with a two-hop double to the wall in left, scoring both Yeske and Page to give the Gamecocks the lead. Lauren Masters plated her older sister with a single to right, giving the Gamecocks the 7-5 advantage.
Gamecock redshirt junior Julie Sarratt (13-9), who entered in the fourth with none out, pitched around a leadoff walk in the seventh to close the game. A fielder’s choice got the first out, but Arkansas’ Amanda Geile singled down the third-base line to bring the winning run to the plate. Chloe Oprzedek stepped up and hit a fly ball to left that the Gamecocks caught for the second out. The Razorback pinch runner at first ventured all the way to second, and Yeske’s relay beat the runner back to first, doubling her off to end the contest.
South Carolina took the early 2-0 lead on Yeske’s two-run double in the second. That scored junior catcher Olivia Lawrence and senior right fielder Chelsea Hawkins after both hit two-out singles. Arkansas (25-19, 3-11 SEC) cut the Gamecocks’ lead to one on Oprzedek’s solo homer to right in the bottom of the second before taking the lead in the third.
In the third, a pitch hit Jennifer Rambo to start things, and Devon Wallace doubled to put two in scoring position. Stephanie Canfield chopped one into the dirt high enough to not draw a throw and to also let score Rambo. Clarisa Navarro lined one to right that allowed Wallace to score on a sacrifice fly to give Arkansas the lead. Kasey Fagan’s bunt single and a Gamecock throwing error put Canfield on third, and she’d score on Amanda Geile’s grounder to first. The fifth Razorback run crossed in the fourth on Canfield’s single down the left-field line, scoring Rambo after she reached on a fielder’s choice and moved to second on a wild pitch.
Sarratt picked up the win in relief, tossing four scoreless innings while giving up three hits and two walks. She struck out two. The win, Sarratt’s 33rd tied her with Kate Pouliot and Kim Sheridan for 12th all-time, while the appearance (92) gave her 13th alone in Gamecock history. The relief showing tied her with Sky Brown in sixth at South Carolina with 36.
Beasley (3-5) took the loss for Arkansas, allowing two earned runs on two walks and a hit in two-thirds of an inning. Arkansas’ Sydney Wright pitched well in the start but struggled when reentered into the game, combining to give up five runs total in 5.1 innings on seven hits and five walks while fanning five.
Ashlyn Masters and Struett both had two hits, with Masters scoring twice and driving in two with a double and Struett adding an RBI. Yeske and Page also doubled and scored, with Yeske getting two RBI. Lauren Masters also had a run and an RBI in her 1-for-3 day. Lawrence and Hawkins both went 1-for-4 with a run scored for South Carolina as well. Wallace and Canfield had two hits and a run to top Arkansas’ offense, with Canfield driving in two. Oprzedek’s blast was her fourth of the year, and Rambo scored multiple times for the second day in a row.
The two teams conclude the series on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. CDT at Bogle Park.
