May 7, 2015
BATON ROUGE, La. –
Sophomore third baseman Taylor Williams hit her seventh home run of the season, but it wasn’t enough as No. 2/2 Florida (50-5) claimed a 10-1 victory in five innings in the 2015 SEC Softball Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday at Tiger Park.
Williams’ homer left Tiger Park in a hurry to start the fifth, one of the Gamecocks’ (37-20) four hits.
The Gators got on the board in the first on a bases-loaded error, a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and a sacrifice fly. Kirsti Merritt’s bunt single helped Florida make it 4-0 in the second, as Kelsey Stewart scored from second on the play. A double steal scored Nicole DeWitt to push the Gators’ advantage to 5-0.
Merritt’s sacrifice fly in the third made it 6-0, and two more sacrifice flies in the fourth gave Florida the 8-0 lead. With two outs and a runner on, Stewart yanked a pitch over the right field wall for her second homer of the year, making it 10-0.
Florida’s Lauren Haeger (24-0) scattered two hits and a walk in her four innings in the victory. South Carolina’s Julie Sarratt (17-12) took the loss, giving up 10 runs, seven earned, on nine hits and five walks. She struck out four.
Game Changer:
The error in the first inning took its toll on the Gamecocks and put the Gators up for good.
Key Stat:
Stewart went 4-for-4 with the two extra-base hits, two RBI and three runs.
Notables:
• Justine McLean went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, the only other Gator with two hits.
• Janell Wheaton tallied two sacrifice flies, while DeWitt stole two bases en route to two runs scored.
• Gamecock junior Alaynie Page went 1-for-3, while sophomore Victoria Williams and freshman Krystan White also added singles.
• The Gamecocks did not strike out at the plate for the second time all season.
Up Next:
South Carolina returns home to await its fate in the NCAA Softball Tournament. The team will have a private gathering to watch the selection show, which runs on Sunday night at 10 p.m. EDT on ESPNU.
