May 17, 2014
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – South Carolina (36-21) used a bunt in the sixth to come back and down Fordham (36-20) by a score of 5-4 in Saturday’s first elimination game in the Tallahassee Regional hosted by Florida State.
Freshman first baseman Kaylea Snaer walked to start the sixth, and sophomore left fielder Ansley Ard bunted to move senior pinch runner Brooke Barnhill along. Ard’s speed, however, forced the throw to go wide from the Rams’ pitcher, letting Barnhill score from first as well as Ard as the ball rattled around in the right-field corner at JoAnne Graf Field.
South Carolina claimed the initial lead in the first on Ard’s two-out, two-RBI single. Senior designated player Ashlyn Masters started the game with a single up the middle on the first pitch, and junior centerfielder Kristen Struett got hit by the next pitch. The duo both moved into scoring position on senior right fielder Chelsea Hawkins’ grounder to the pitcher before scoring when Ard sent her hit to right.
Fordham’s Elise Fortier tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth with her round-tripper to center. The blast also scored Amy Van Hoven after she replaced Sydney Canessa on first on Van Hoven’s fielder’s choice. Canessa walked to start the fourth.
The Gamecocks retook the lead on Masters’ one-out solo homer in the fifth, a shot that easily cleared the left-field wall. Fordham answered in the bottom of the frame after loading the bases on an error and two hits. The third-consecutive single in the frame went to Canessa, scoring pinch runner Brianna Ciuffi after she ran for Paige Ortiz, who reached on the one-out error at third. After a force out at the plate, Fortier lined one off the glove of the Gamecock third baseman, scoring Cora Ianiro to give Fordham the lead, 4-3.
Gamecock freshman Nickie Blue (18-10) retired the final six batters in order to close out the complete-game win. Blue gave up four runs, two earned, on five hits and two walks while striking out two. Patti Maloney (5-1) took the loss, giving up two unearned runs in two innings of relief, giving up two hits and one walks while striking out two.
Masters went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and the homer to lead South Carolina. Ard went 2-for-2 officially with a run and two RBI. Elise Fortier went 2-for-3 with three RBI to top the Rams.
South Carolina gets a rematch with USF in the second elimination game that begins 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.
