Gamecocks Open SEC Tournament with Rematch vs. No. 22/21 Auburn

May 6, 2014

South Carolina Hosts the 2014 SEC Tournament
Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field – Columbia, S.C.

SEC Tournament Central
Wed., May 7, 6:30 PM – vs. No. 8 seed Auburn (ESPNU)
ESPN3/WatchESPN | | @GamecockSoftbll

Remaining schedule (with each win)
Thurs., May 8, 6:30 PM – vs. No. 1 seed Alabama (ESPNU)
Fri., May 9, 5:30 PM – vs. No. 4 seed Florida or No. 5 seed Georgia (ESPNU)
Sat., May 10, 8 PM – Championship Game (ESPN2)

2014 SC Softball Notes – 5/6

2014 SC Softball Stats – 5/4

2014 SEC Softball Tournament

South Carolina Team Notes

South Carolina has recorded two new team single-season records this year, as the 47 home runs and 199 walks eclipses the previous marks of 45 HR last year and 173 BB in 1992, respectively.
Sarah Mooney, a junior transfer from James Madison, has 11 home runs on the season, tying the single-season record set twice before by Evan Childs in 2012 and McKenna Hughes in 2007.
The Gamecocks, with a .458 winning percentage this season, last had a mark in SEC play higher in 2003, when the team went 18-12 (.643).
South Carolina is 6-2 in its last eight games, with the two losses both coming in extra innings, the only extra-inning games this year.
South Carolina is 7-7 in one-run games this season, two wins better than last year’s 5-5. They went 5-9 during those contests in 2012 and 7-11 in Smith’s first year of 2011.
After posting only eight hits combined in the first two games, South Carolina tallied at least eight in each the next seven. Overall, the Gamecocks have five or more hits in 44 of 54 games.
The Gamecocks have left the second-least runners on base in the SEC this season at 314.
As a team, the Gamecocks have scored 57.3 percent (71 of 124) of runners from third with less than two outs, standing fifth in the SEC. Auburn leads the way at 65.5 percent (116 of 177).
The college upperclassmen have come through with runners on third and less than two outs, as Dana Hathorn, Chelsea Hawkins, Olivia Lawrence, Ashlyn Masters, Sarah Mooney, Kristen Struett and Codee Yeske have posted 42 RBI in 66 chances. The rest of the team is 29-for-58.
Hathorn (7-of-9) and Hawkins (6-of-8) lead those efforts with runners on third and less than two outs.
Freshman Kaylea Snaer has eight round-trippers, tying for seventh on the single-season charts.
South Carolina is 9-13 when getting one or less runners to third with less than two outs this season, with two of those wins coming over Auburn.
Only four times have the Gamecocks gotten three or more runners to third with less than two outs and not won the game (2/28 vs. Minnesota, 3/9 at Alabama, 3/14 vs. Texas A&M, 3/22 at Tenn.)
All but two of South Carolina’s losses have come when they’ve given up four or more earned runs. In fact, of the 151 team earned runs allowed, 112 have come in the 19 losses.
The first loss without four earned runs allowed for the Gamecocks came in the first game at Arkansas (4/11), where five errors led to 10 unearned Arkansas runs in the 11-10 setback.
The second setback came in the second game against Longwood (4/26), when one earned run on a wild pitch felled the Gamecocks in a 1-0 loss in eight innings.
In the first 30 games, South Carolina scored five runs combined in the second inning. Over the last 24, the team has plated 33, including five in the second game of the Furman doubleheader.

Awards Pouring in for Gamecocks

Gamecock freshmen Nickie Blue and Kaylea Snaer both garnered spots on the SEC All-Freshman Team as voted on by the league’s coaches.
It’s the first time since 2008 for South Carolina to received multiple people on any combination of the SEC’s postseason awards.
Blue started the team’s recognition with her Feb. 24 SEC Freshman of the Week win.
Redshirt junior Julie Sarratt garnered SEC Pitcher of the Week honors on March 17 after helping the Gamecocks take the series from nationally-ranked Texas A&M.
Seniors Ashlyn Masters (March 31) and Codee Yeske (May 5) both won SEC Player of the Week awards, the first time since 2005 the team had won two in a year.
Blue also earned a spot on the first listing of 25 for the NFCA’s inaugural National Freshman of the Year award.
Senior Chelsea Hawkins gained a spot on the 2014 SEC Softball Community Service Team, while Sarratt made last year’s.
Ansley Ard, Brooke Barnhill, Dana Hathorn, Hawkins, Masters, Sarratt and Kristen Struett all made the SEC Academic Honor Rolls last season, part of 13 Gamecock softball players on the lists.

A New Tradition: Masters Leading the Offense

Senior Ashlyn Masters leads the Gamecocks in 10 offensive categories.
She took over the leadoff spot in the middle of February. And she’s scored 38 runs in those 46 games, more than any player’s total this year, and tallying 26 of her 27 extra-base hits.
She earned South Carolina’s first SEC Player of the Week nod (on March 31) since 2005 with her performances against Furman and Mississippi.
Her 19 doubles, tied for tops in the SEC, stands second at South Carolina in a season, one of seven marks she has currently in the top 15 in a single season as a Gamecock.
She’s in the Gamecocks’ career top-10 in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, which can be found on page 10, along with the total of 10 marks she owns in the top 20.
Three hits separate Masters from qualifying for that per-game listing.
With multiple hits in 17 games, she leads the team.
She’s hitting .408 when playing a defensive position compared to .200 in 18 games as a designated/offensive player.

The Pitchers Reign Supreme

Both redshirt junior Julie Sarratt and freshman Nickie Blue have won weekly awards from the Southeastern Conference, Sarratt most recently being named pitcher of the week on March 17.
Blue has seven saves, second in a single season at Carolina, and Sarratt four, tied for fifth.
Both are better in relief (Sarratt 1.12 ERA, Blue 1.31) than starting (Sarratt 2.99, Blue 3.79).
The group posted a 29-inning scoreless streak from the final game at Florida Atlantic till the final game of the Gamecock Invitational. UNC Wilmington posted an unearned first-inning run to snap it.
Longer than that stretch was the Gamecock pitchers’ no-homer stand, from the 4th against Ohio through the end of the UNC Wilmington game, lasting 72 innings.
As a team, the Gamecock pitchers have allowed 0.49 homers, 0.08 triples and 0.75 doubles per game, which stand first, tied for fourth and sixth in the league, respectively.
The staff has given up 118 runs in the first three innings of games (162 IP) and only 83 runs in the innings 4-7 this season (in 180.1 innings).

Blue’s Been Best in Big Games

Nickie Blue garnered a spot on the inaugural NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year listing of the 25 finalists.
Blue earned her first SEC Freshman of the Week honor on Feb. 24 after picking up a win and two saves in relief as well as her first career shutout vs. Michigan State.
Blue has two marquee wins on the season, both complete-game victories at ranked opponents in the 3-2 victory at No. 3/3 Arizona State and the 1-0 triumph at No. 15/17 Georgia.
Against the Bulldogs, Blue struck out a career-best seven and held UGA to its lowest hit total of the season to date, allowing only three.
She also tossed a shutout in the 8-0 (5) win over No. –/24 LSU.
When Blue pitches, she’s produced nearly double the ground-ball outs (230) versus fly outs (116).
Lefties have more trouble against Blue, hitting .171 (23-of-134) with two strikes and 56 of her strikeouts against them in over 120 less at-bats.

Savvy Veteran Sarratt Striking Down Foes

Julie Sarratt picked up SEC Pitcher of the Week honors on March 17 after going 2-0 with a save the week prior, which included a complete-game, nine strikeout win over No. 13/15 Texas A&M.
Sarratt’s fanned 135 batters in 156 innings, a rate (6.06 K/7IP), 1.5 K’s better her career standard (4.56 K/7IP) entering the year.
Sarratt struck out a career-high 10 in the win over Maryland, while she sat down nine in her complete-game victory over No. 13/15 Texas A&M, her best in an SEC game.
She is at her best with two strikes against right-handed hitters, holding them to a .151 batting average (28-of-185) with 84 of her K’s in those circumstances.

Gamecocks vs. Ranked Opponents

South Carolina is 100-238-1 (.296) all-time against opponents ranked in the NFCA top 25.
Broken down by site, the Gamecocks are 45-76 (.372) at home, 17-108 (.148) on the road and 38-54-1 (.414) in neutral-site outings.
So far this season, the Gamecocks are 6-12 against teams ranked in the NFCA poll at the time of the game, including a 4-3 mark at home against those teams.
That includes a pair of SEC series wins over Texas A&M and Auburn, the first time in history the Gamecocks won 2-of-3 from ranked opponents in the same season.
Last season, the Gamecocks went 3-16 (.158) against ranked foes, including a 2-7 mark when playing in the opponent’s home park (W’s at LSU and Kentucky) and a 1-8 record at home.
South Carolina is now 2-24 against top-five opposition on the road, with one win being the 3-2 victory at No. 3/3 Arizona State on Feb. 27, .

The Schedule Has Been Tough

The Gamecocks have 24 of their 55 games against teams who made the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
South Carolina downed No. 3/3 Arizona State and is 8-16 against those teams so far in 2014.
A total of 35 of the Gamecocks’ scheduled games come against teams that finished in the top 100 of the NCAA’s Ratings Percentage Index last year. Of those, 21 are against RPI top-50 teams.
Entering the SEC Tournament, South Carolina is 7-14 against RPI top-50 squads. Auburn is currently 15th in the RPI.
After facing nothing but NCAA Tournament participants in SEC play last year, South Carolina has two conference weekends against non-tourney teams this year (home vs. Mississippi & Auburn).
Two of the Gamecocks’ SEC contests were on national television, including the opening game to ESPN’s national coverage. The Gamecocks’ Saturday game against LSU also was on ESPNU.
All nine games of the SEC Softball Tournament will be on the ESPN family of networks.

Monumental Series Wins for SC and Coach Smith vs. Texas A&M & Auburn

For the first time in program history, South Carolina won two series from ranked SEC opponents, taking two games from both Texas A&M and Auburn at the league’s newest stadium.
South Carolina won its first series over a ranked SEC opponent since 2009 with a doubleheader sweep of No. 13/15 Texas A&M on March 15.
The second series win over the Auburn Tigers secured the eighth seed in the SEC Tournament.
In the Auburn series, the Tigers were held to 11 runs, their second-lowest output in SEC play this year (vs. Florida, 8).
The A&M triumphs count as the first SEC series win in Carolina Softball Stadium.
The second win over the Aggies on March 15 marked Beverly Smith’s 100th at South Carolina.
The come-from-behind win in game one in the bottom of the seventh is the first since March 11, 2012 vs. Arkansas.
Both of those games featured two-run, walk-off homers, Evan Childs with the one over the Hogs in 2012 and Ashlyn Masters with the shot against the Aggies.
Entering the seventh tied, the Gamecocks won their first game in that scenario in 2014. Five times, South Carolina did that in 2013, with three in SEC play (at Mississippi State and at Auburn twice).
Julie Sarratt earned SEC Pitcher of the Week honors for getting the win and the save during the doubleheader along with her win over Eastern Kentucky on March 11.

Some People Love Home Cooking; Others Shine on the Road

Ashlyn Masters tends to like playing at home, posting a .402 batting average and a .711 slugging percentage in Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field against .286 and .444, respectively, away from home.
Ansley Ard also hits better at home (.415/.492/.566 vs. .207/.281/.310).
Both Chelsea Hawkins (.444 OBP vs. .268) and Sarah Mooney (.420 OBP vs. .320) reach base more often at home.
Olivia Lawrence exhibits more power at home (.607 slugging percentage vs. .278).
Brooke Barnhill has scored nine runs in 17 appearances away from Columbia, while she’s scored only seven times in 23 home playing chances.
Both of South Carolina’s primary pitchers have ERAs under 2.00 at home and over 4.25 outside of the SEC’s newest stadium.
Helping those ERAs are the 187:76 K:BB ratio at Beckham Field compared to a 79:88 mark away.

The Road Is Rough, Especially Against These SEC Foes

South Carolina dropped eight of its first nine road contests in SEC play in 2014.
Those eight losses came against the No. 1, 3 and 6 ranked pitching staffs in ERA and 1, 2 and 5 offenses by batting average in the SEC stat rankings for league games only.
In SEC play, Alabama holds the league’s best mark with a 2.52 ERA, while Tennessee ranks 3rd at 3.24 and Georgia 6th at 3.26.
In SEC action, the Lady Vols topped the league with a .314 batting average (and also with a .437 on-base percentage and .545 slugging percentage). The Crimson Tide stood 2nd with a .311 batting average (and with a .404 OB), and Georgia ranked 5th at .277 (but second in slugging at .501).
The home series loss came to the third-best team by batting average, LSU (.300).

Scouting Auburn

The Tigers bring a 38-16-1 record into the SEC Tournament under first-year head coach Clint Myers.
Defense has been the strong suit of Auburn, posting .982 fielding percentage, second in both NCAA Division I and the SEC behind only Florida.
The Tigers are sixth in the country in double plays turned per game with a 0.55 mark and turned a triple play in the series against the Gamecocks.
With three top-15 marks in the NCAA Division I offensive stat rankings (scoring [7.40, 2nd], home runs per game [1.36, 6th] and slugging percentage [.523, 13th], Auburn has plenty of power.
Four Tigers have on-base percentages of .490 or better, with these next four all walking 30 times or more.
Emily Carosone has reached base 61 times without swinging the bat (30 walks, 31 HBP), leading the way with a .586 OBP.
Branndi Melero and Kasey Cooper both have over 15 home runs and over 70 RBI.
Morgan Estell has a team-best 16 doubles and 41 walks.
In league action, Melero led the way with her 10 homers, 33 RBI and .845 slugging percentage.
The Tigers don’t bother with stealing bases, only taking 15 in 16 tries, three of those in SEC play.
In the circle, Lexi Davis has tossed over half of the team’s innings, striking out 129 in 188.1 while walking 60.
Marcy Harper has a 3.67 ERA in 126 innings, holding foes to a .209 batting average, but she has allowed 29 homers.
Harper allowed 15 homers in 47 innings in league play with a 35:34 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Ties Between South Carolina and Auburn

Auburn director of operations Jim Beitia and Gamecock associate head coach Lisa Navas both worked for the Carolina Diamonds team in the National Pro Fastpitch league.

Series History vs. the Tigers

Auburn holds a slim 28-25 advantage in the all-time series, but the Gamecocks are 13-11 in meetings at Beckham Field.

Current Gamecock Stats vs. Auburn

Codee Yeske has blistered Tiger pitching the last two years, going 9-for-18 with a double , a triple and a homer in those six starts.
Julie Sarratt has a 2.70 ERA all-time against Auburn, striking out 19 and walking 12 in 33.2 innings. That includes a 3-0 record in 25.1 innings over the past two years with a 17:8 K:BB ratio.
Chelsea Hawkins had two doubles at Auburn last year and a grand slam this year to go with a career .258 batting average versus the Tigers.
Dana Hathorn is .273 in 33 at-bats against Auburn, including a 3-for-7 performance last weekend.
Kristen Struett has a .400 batting average vs. the Tigers, with three doubles among her six hits.
Olivia Lawrence went 2-for-4 with a double against the Tigers last season.

The Last Series – South Carolina at Auburn – May 2-4, 2014

The Gamecocks won their second-consecutive series against Auburn, claiming the eighth seed in the 2014 SEC Softball Tournament.
Behind the contributions of all five seniors honored in pregame festivities on Sunday, South Carolina defeated No. 20/20 Auburn 4-2.
Senior Chelsea Hawkins’ grand slam and a total of five extra-base hits sent South Carolina to a 7-4 win over Auburn on Saturday afternoon.
South Carolina fell in extra innings on Friday night, as No. 20/20 Auburn used a two-out, two-RBI single from Austyn West to claim a 5-3 win in eight innings.

Bring on (or Back) the Doubleheaders in SEC Play

Three times in 2014, the Gamecocks had to play Saturday doubleheaders to ensure completing a three-game series.
South Carolina went 5-1 in those games, sweeping twinbills from Texas A&M and Mississippi at home before splitting the double dip at No. 15/17 Georgia.
Friday nights were unkind, with the Gamecocks dropping all seven games started on the final day of the work week in SEC play.

Family Ties

The Masters sisters Ashlyn and Lauren are the first siblings to play on the same Gamecock team and the second set ever in the program’s recorded history, after the Troesh sisters, Leanna (1997-99) and Debralee (2000-03).
While both Williams, freshmen Taylor and Victoria are not sisters.
Chelsea Hawkins is the niece of Tia Rogers (2002-04 letter-winner).

In Wins and Losses, Who (and What) Stands Out?

When the Gamecocks hit a homer, they are 26-7.
If they amass more hits than the foe, they are 29-2.
When holding opponents without a homer, South Carolina is 26-7.
In 14 of the 19 losses, the Gamecocks have given up eight hits or more. Only on four occasions have they won when allowing that many hits.
As a team, the Gamecocks slug .528 in wins and .352 in losses and reach base at a .422 clip in wins and just .326 in losses.
The Gamecocks have drawn 140 walks and been hit 31 times in 35 wins and garnered 59 free passes and 12 HBPs in 19 losses.
Power providers in wins include Ashlyn Masters (.410 BA, 23 XBH in W’s, .255 BA, 4 XBH in L’s), Sarah Mooney (.738 slugging percentage in W’s, .354 in L’s) and Chelsea Hawkins (.313/.389/.542 in W’s, .195/.353/.268 in L’s).
Other offensive catalysts include Ansley Ard (.426 BA in W’s, .179 in L’s), Codee Yeske (.466 OBP in W’s, .323 in L’s) and Kristen Struett (.384 OBP in W’s, .233 in L’s).
Gamecock pitching has a 191:80 strikeout-to-walk (K:BB) ratio in wins while it’s 75:86 in losses.
Julie Sarratt has a 103:37 K:BB ratio in 102.1 innings in wins and a 32:34 ratio in 53.2 innings in losses. Nickie Blue stands with a 79:39 K:BB rate in wins (111.1 IP) and 34:31 in losses.

Snaer Drives The Middle of the Order

Freshman Kaylea Snaer started the first 46 games before an arm injury took her out of the lineup.
She has eight homers (T-7th) and 28 walks (T-7th), both in SC’s top 10 in a season.
Her 35 RBI are four shy of a spot on the single-season charts.
In SEC play, she’s been stellar. Of her 14 hits, nine have gone for extra bases (4 2B, 5 HR). Those nine extra-base hits are 18 percent of the team’s output in SEC play this season.
Snaer’s posted two or more hits 11 times and multiple RBI in 12 games, the latter tops on the team.
Eighteen of Snaer’s 35 RBI have come with two outs.

Gamecocks Added to Their Rich History in NCAA Tournament

South Carolina made its 16th appearance in the 2013 NCAA Tournament and the first since 2007.
The Gamecocks are 31-29 in those trips, making three Women’s College World Series in their history (1983, 1989 and 1997).
The program has five AIAW World Series trips in its history as well prior to 1982.
Four times, South Carolina has won a regional.
The Gamecocks made their seventh regional final (in multi-team regionals) in 14 appearances. The regionals in 1982-83 were best-of-three series against one opponent.

Milestone Wins for Gamecocks, Coach Smith Already Passed in ’14

South Carolina has played 2,048 games in its softball history, going 1334-708-6 (.653) in its 41st season of sponsorship.
With the season-opening 1-0 win over Iowa, the Gamecocks gained their 1,300th program victory.
Head coach Beverly Smith claimed second alone on SC’s coaching wins list with a 9-1 (5) win in the first game of the doubleheader against Furman.
She earlier took third with the 13-0 (5) victory vs. UNC Greensboro.
She is the third Gamecock head coach to coach a fourth season at South Carolina, joining Piel and NFCA Hall-of-Fame coach Joyce Compton.

Info on the (No Longer) New Gamecocks

With nine new student-athletes, South Carolina retooled after losing seven players, four to graduation and three to transfers.
Three of the incoming eight freshmen have been honored by MaxPreps.com on their High School All-America teams, including two on its small school listings.
Kaylea Snaer earned second-team accolades in the country, while, on the small school lists were Taylor Williams (first team) and Victoria Williams (second team).
The Williams and Snaer join Alaynie Page as Gamecocks who earned those honors. Page made the Junior All-America list earlier at Boiling Springs High School.
The eight freshmen all represent different states: California (Snaer), Colorado (Nickie Blue), Georgia (Effie Manahan), Illinois (Kate Shereyk), North Carolina (Macey Webb), South Carolina (V. Williams), Texas (T. Williams), and Virginia (Mackenzie Moler).
Nickie Blue is the first Gamecock to be listed over 6-0 since Melanie Henkes (6-3) in 2006.
The lone transfer this year, Sarah Mooney, earned 2013 Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year accolades.
Leading the Dukes in eight offensive categories, Mooney won the CAA triple crown and set new program records with 17 homers and 67 RBI in 59 games.
Mooney moves closer to home in two aspects, hailing from the greater Charlotte area and also likely to serve as the Gamecocks’ starting catcher.

Roster Notes

South Carolina returns six position starters from last year’s team, including at second base (Dana Hathorn), in left (Alaynie Page) and in right field (Chelsea Hawkins). All 59 starts in center field and at designated player return as well as the majority of starts at first and third bases.
In the loss of Samie Garcia, the Gamecocks lose their leader in batting average, runs, hits, doubles, triples, total bases, slugging percentage, sacrifice hits and stolen bases and the only person who started at shortstop.
The greatest losses come in triples (7 of 10) and sacrifice hits (9 of 19).
In the rest of the offensive categories, the Gamecocks bring back from 70.7 percent (doubles) to 80 percent (home runs) of their production from 2013, a season where the Gamecocks set six team offensive records.
Back are the 2013 team leaders in on-base percentage (Dana Hathorn, .463), home runs (Chelsea Hawkins, 8), walks (Alaynie Page, 26) and hit by pitches (Dana Hathorn, 25).
In the circle, the team loses almost 60 percent of the innings and strikeouts from a year ago but returns team ERA, IP, K and win leader Julie Sarratt.
Nine newcomers join the roster, including eight freshmen and the transferring Sarah Mooney, who earned Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year honors at James Madison.
The team is again dominated by South Carolina natives, with 36.4 percent of the roster (eight players) hailing from the Palmetto State. Georgia is second with three players.
The Gamecocks hail from 10 states this year, adding players from North Carolina, Colorado, Illinois, California, Texas and Virginia.

Notables from Earlier

For the second-consecutive season, South Carolina claimed at least one SEC road series, taking two of three at Arkansas over April 11-13.
The Gamecocks won their first game at Georgia since March 28, 2001 in the first game of the April 5 doubleheader.
It’s the team’s second win at the home of a ranked team in 2014, joining the 3-2 victory at No. 3/3 Arizona State.
South Carolina’s 3-2 win at No. 3/3 Arizona State marked the first win (and second all-time) at a top-five team’s park since March 13, 2004, a 6-4 win in nine innings at LSU.
South Carolina swept Mississippi at home over March 29-30, the first SEC home series sweep since the Rebels’ last visit in 2011.
The Sunday win over Ole Miss, which came by scoring two runs in its final at bat, ranks as the first this season for SC when it enters the seventh trailing.
In the Ball State loss, South Carolina snapped a streak of 11 games with one or no errors, a stretch that included a 10-game winning streak.
The Gamecocks’ win in game one against Western Carolina came when they were down after five innings, the first South Carolina triumph coming back that late in a game this season.
The four double plays in the Florida Atlantic win (2/16) is believed to be a school record, as it matches what was once listed but could not be verified.
This year’s 14-2 start is bettered only by a 12-1 mark by the 2009 team in the last six years of Gamecock Softball. The 2007 Gamecocks went 24-3, the best start since the first year of SEC play.

Roller Coaster Ride in Tempe

South Carolina picked up its second win in history in the home park of a top-five team when it downed No. 3/3 Arizona State 3-2 to open its stay in the ASU Louisville Slugger Invitational.
Senior Chelsea Hawkins accounted for every Gamecock run, hitting a two-run homer for the initial lead and scoring the insurance run in the seventh after leading off the inning with a double.
Hawkins went 3-for-3 in the win with a homer, double, two RBI and two runs scored. The seven total bases is the most for a Gamecock this year.
Freshman Nickie Blue tossed 101 pitches, the most at that time in her budding college career, in the complete-game win. It’s her second complete game as a Gamecock.
Blue matched her then-career high by striking out five Sun Devils in the win.
Over night, however, the team was swept by a virus that kept two players from the field on Friday and weakened many others. Ten student-athletes were treated for similar symptons during the trip.
It still took allowing 11 and 10 runs to fall to No. 19/20 Minnesota and Ball State, respectively.
In the two losses, South Carolina allowed seven earned runs in each. The team had been charged with 19 in the previous 16 games combined.
The Gamecocks, after falling down 7-0 to Minnesota, cut the lead to 7-4 after five innings.
In the Ball State contest, South Carolina scored seven in the sixth before succumbing to the Cardinals, who scored three in the bottom half of the sixth and two more in the final frame.
Three Gamecocks homered against the Cardinals: junior Sarah Mooney, sophomore Jordan Bizzell and redshirt freshman Lauren Masters. It was the first career homer for Bizzell and Masters.
One game was lost due to rain as well, the only rainout of the year for the Gamecocks.