May 1, 2016
COLUMBIA, S.C. – With an assist from the weather, No. 4/4 Alabama (43-10, 14-7 SEC) claimed a 5-1 win in five innings on Sunday afternoon over South Carolina (34-18, 6-15 SEC) in front of a sellout crowd at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
Alabama loaded the bases with no one out in the second, and the Crimson Tide capitalized with a four-run inning. Peyton Grantham drove in the first run with a single, while Kallie Case plated the next on a fielder’s choice. With runners at the corners, Haylie McCleney struck with a double to left center, clearing the bases. That lead grew to 5-0 with an unearned run in the third on Marisa Runyon’s single near the line in right, scoring Sydney Booker after she had a leadoff single and took second on an errant throw to first.
South Carolina got a run back in the bottom of the third on junior Kaylea Snaer’s sacrifice fly, scoring senior Alaynie Page after she and freshman Kennedy Clark both had hit to start the inning. A wild pitch moved both into scoring position to set up Snaer’s sac fly.
The Gamecocks left two runners on both the third and fifth, both times after Page and Clark started the innings with hits. With runners on the corners and two down in the fifth, the Tide left fielder Case made a diving catch near the foul line to end the frame.
Alabama’s Sydney Littlejohn (21-4) took the win, tossing four innings and allowing one earned run on four hits and a walk. South Carolina junior Jessica Elliott (17-6) was charged with the loss, giving up five runs, four earned, on seven hits in two innings. She struck out one.
Game Changer:
The rain never let anyone get momentum going in the contest, including play halting twice during South Carolina’s offensive innings.
Key Note:
This is South Carolina’s first rain-shortened loss since April 27, 2008 at Mississippi, a game the Gamecocks lost 1-0 after having the leadoff hitter in the sixth reach before the game was halted.
Notables:
• Clark went 3-for-3, leading all players, while Page went 2-for-3, scoring the lone Gamecock run.
• Snaer’s sac fly is the eighth in her career, tying her for fifth all-time with three others.
• Alabama’s McCleney went 2-for-3 with the two-RBI double and two stolen bases, while Runyon tallied a 2-for-2 day with a double and an RBI.
• Four other Crimson Tide starters had hits.
• The game started 16 minutes late due to the weather and contained 1:22 of weather delays before the final halting at 4:32.
Tweets of the Game:
The 4th weather delay of the game, @GamecockSoftbll down 5-1 to @AlabamaSB; Coaches even helping cover the field! pic.twitter.com/JDVqiXBq2R
— Dave Easley (@daveeas) May 1, 2016
Hate to see the home season end like that, but already can’t wait to be back at Beckham Field next season! @GamecockSoftbll
— sarah jaynes (@sejaynes) May 1, 2016
Quotable
Head coach Beverly Smith
This is a first for me. I haven’t had a called game in six years. It’s disappointing, but we don’t get to control the weather. I certainly liked our chances to come back, but unfortunately the weather prevailed. Alaynie and Kennedy back to back were having a great day and providing the spark we want. We just needed to pass the bat down. I thought we were seeing the ball well today.
We didn’t get many leadoff outs today, which gave Alabama some momentum early.
Up Next:
The Gamecocks close the 2016 regular season with a series at nationally-ranked Missouri. Friday’s contest is set for 7:30 p.m. EDT on SEC Network + on Watch ESPN, with Saturday’s start posted for 3 p.m. Sunday’s finale will be at 1:30 p.m. EDT. Saturday’s game will be on ESPNU, and Sunday’s game will be a part of the SEC Network’s Bases Loaded whip-around coverage.
