March 19, 2017
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Gamecocks fell in their series finale against No. 2/1 Florida 10-0 in five innings on Sunday afternoon at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
Florida (26-1, 5-0 SEC) waited until the third inning to strike, scoring five on Sophia Reynoso’s two-run homer and Jaimie Hoover’s bases-loaded triple. The Gators sent all nine batters to the plate again in the fourth, scoring four more on Nicole DeWitt’s RBI single, Kayli Kvistad’s bases-loaded walk and Hoover’s two-RBI single. One more Gator run crossed in the fifth on DeWitt’s sacrifice fly.
The Gamecocks (19-10, 1-5 SEC) got walks from senior Kaylea Snaer and sophomore Kennedy Clark as well as a hit-by-pitch to junior Tiara Duffy. Florida’s Delanie Gourley (11-1) tossed the first four hitless innings, striking out four, while Aleshia Ocasio tossed a perfect fifth to finish the Gators’ sweep. South Carolina senior Nickie Blue (7-5) took the loss, giving up five earned runs in 2.2 innings on three hits and four walks.
Game Changer
Reynoso’s home run started things rolling for Florida’s offense.
Key Stat
Every Gator starter reached base.
NOTABLES
Hoover went 2-for-3 with the triple and five RBI to lead the Gator attack. Two other Gators had two hits: Reynoso and Ocasio.
Reynoso and DeWitt both scored twice and drove in two more runs, while Ocasio also scored two runs.
The Gamecocks turned their 15th double play of the year to end the fifth and played an errorless game defensively.
With the appearance today, Blue claims second all-time at South Carolina with 156, while she’s now ninth alone with 84 career starts.
The Gamecocks were no hit for the first time since March 21, 2012 at North Carolina.
Up Next
South Carolina wraps a five-game home stand with a Tuesday afternoon contest against Gardner-Webb. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. Admission is free for all fans to Tuesday’s contest.
