April 19, 2016
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina (32-13) dropped a 6-4 decision on Tuesday night to Georgia Southern (26-19), as the Eagles used three home runs to get past the Gamecocks.
With the chance to do much more, South Carolina picked up one run in the first inning on the third-straight hit-by-pitch of the frame, as junior Victoria Williams forced home freshman Alexis Mack. With only one down and the bases still loaded, Eagle pitcher Dixie Raley (19-9) got a shallow fly to left and a liner right at the first baseman to end the inning with no more damage.
The Eagles’ first big fly came in the second, as Morgan Robinson worked an eight-pitch walk ahead of Hannah Farrell’s blast near the left-field foul pole. The Gamecocks retook the lead in the bottom half of the frame. Sophomore Kamryn Watts drew a leadoff walk and took third on a hit-and-run with senior Ansley Ard. The throw to the infield sailed over the cutoff person, letting Watts score the tying run. With two outs, senior Alaynie Page stroked a double to left center, plating Ard to give the Gamecocks the 3-2 advantage.
Things stayed there until the sixth, when one-out singles by A.J. Hamilton and India Davis set up Alesha Mann’s three-run homer. Two batters later, Lydia Witkowski hit a sinking liner to center that the Gamecocks tried to catch, but it got behind the centerfielder and rolled to the wall, letting Witkowski get the inside-the-park home run.
South Carolina fired up the offense again in the seventh, getting the first career triple from freshman Kennedy Clark, who would score on Page’s ground out. A double by junior Kaylea Snaer brought the tying run to the plate, but Raley got two groundouts to end the game.
Raley went the distance, giving up four earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out three. Gamecock junior Nickie Blue (15-10) took the loss, going four innings in relief and allowing four earned runs on six hits. She fanned three.
Game Changer:
The four-run sixth for the Eagles propelled them to the victory.
Key Stat:
The Gamecocks went 0-for-2 with the bases loaded and 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Notables:
• Snaer’s seventh-inning double gives her the South Carolina single-season record outright and puts her one shy of the SEC’s mark.
• She also ties former All-American Karen Sanchelli (1985-88) for ninth on the career charts with 38.
• Page’s double joins her with Sondra Hall (1997-2000) in 13th on the career listings with 35. She went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
• Clark went 2-for-4 with the triple and a run scored.
• Ard went 2-for-3 with a run scored as well, while Mack reached base twice with a hit and a walk while scoring one run.
• Hamilton and Davis were the only Eagles with multiple hits, both collecting two.
Up Next:
The Gamecocks travel to Baton Rouge, La., to face No. 14/15 LSU in a three-game series. Friday night’s contest will have live audio on GamecocksOnline.com via the Gamecock All-Access channel, while Saturday and Sunday’s games will be on the SEC Network + on Watch ESPN.
