Feb. 14, 2015
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina completed a perfect weekend in the Gamecock Invitational with a 5-4 come-from-behind win over College of Charleston (4-3) on Saturday night at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
The Gamecocks (8-2) started the comeback bid immediately after falling behind 4-0, as junior left fielder Alaynie Page ripped the first pitch she saw for an inside-the-park home run. She ripped the pitch past the Cougars second baseman and centerfielder, both of whom failed to stop the ball while diving. Page hits the second Gamecock inside-the-park home run in Beverly Smith’s tenure.
A pair of doubles in the third cut the College of Charleston lead to 4-2, as sophomore right fielder Victoria Williams brought home Page with two down. The Gamecocks tied it in the fourth on freshman shortstop Krystan White’s RBI double and senior centerfielder Kristen Struett’s fielder’s choice.
In the fifth, the Gamecocks saw Williams collect her second double to start the frame. With one down, redshirt sophomore second baseman Lauren Masters hit one off the glove of her counterpart, allowing pinch runner Ansley Ard to score to give South Carolina the 5-4 lead.
College of Charleston collected its four runs in the first with one out. Rebecca Mueller singled home Taylor Dupree after Dupree started the contest by reaching on an error. After another Cougar single, designated player Sara Garcia drove a pitch out to left for a three-run homer.
Gamecock redshirt senior Julie Sarratt (3-2) survived the first-inning trouble to pick up a complete-game win. She struck out four while giving up four runs, three earned, on five hits and two walks. College of Charleston’s Hope Klicker (2-2) took the loss, allowing five runs, four earned, on eight hits and three walks. She fanned two.
Game Changer:
Sarratt settled down after a rocky first to shut down the Cougar offense, only allowing one hit and one walk in the final six innings.
Key Stat:
Williams and Page both had two-hit games with both hits going for extra bases (Williams two doubles, Page the homer and the double).
Notables:
• Page’s home run, her sixth of the year, ties her with two others for ninth in Gamecock history in career round-trippers with 15.
• White also went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
• Five different Cougars had hits, only one after the first.
Up Next:
South Carolina takes on a tough slate in the Mary Nutter Memorial Classic starting on Thursday afternoon in Cathedral City, Calif. against LIU Brooklyn.
