Gamecocks Fall at No. 9/9 Alabama 7-3 in Series Opener
March 24, 2017
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – An error with two outs cost South Carolina (20-11, 1-6 SEC), helping No. 9/9 Alabama (29-3, 6-1 SEC) claim a 7-3 win on Friday evening at Rhoads Stadium.
Alabama claimed the lead in the second thanks to a Gamecock error. Two fielders collided, and what would have been the third out popped out of the left fielder’s glove, letting two Tide runners score. Peyton Grantham followed with an RBI single, and Mari Cranek drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 5-1 Alabama.
Two more Crimson Tide runs came in the third, as Bailey Hemphill posted her second RBI of the night with a single. Marisa Runyon’s sacrifice fly made it 7-1 Alabama.
South Carolina leaped out to a 1-0 lead when senior first baseman Kaylea Snaer led off the contest with a home run, her fifth of the season. Alabama tied things in the bottom half on Hemphill’s double, scoring Demi Turner after she singled and moved into scoring position on Chandler Dare’s sacrifice bunt.
The Gamecocks drew closer in the sixth on freshman second baseman Mackenzie Boesel’s leadoff home run and senior Taylor Williams’ RBI single, which scored sophomore Kennedy Clark after her hit followed Boesel’s bomb.
Sydney Littlejohn (10-1) picked up the win, allowing three earned runs on seven hits and a walk in 6.2 innings. She struck out four. Gamecock senior Jessica Elliott (8-5) took the loss, giving up seven runs, three earned, on six hits and six walks in 2.1 innings.
Game Changer
The error changed the tenor of the ball game, as Elliott had thought she had escaped the second without any damage.
Key Stat
The Crimson Tide’s Demi Turner went 3-for-4 with three runs and two stolen bases.
NOTABLES
Senior Victoria Williams reached base in all three plate appearances, going 2-for-2 with a hit-by-pitch.
Snaer and Boesel both have five homers on the season, tied for the team lead.
Both Hemphill and Cranek went 2-for-3 with a double, with Hemphill adding two RBI and Cranek 1.
Freshman Cayla Drotar came in and shut Alabama out in her 3.2 innings, scattering four hits and a walk.
The Gamecocks posted two outfield assists in the game, with both Clark and junior Tiara Duffy getting assists.
Up Next
The two teams tangle again in a doubleheader on Sunday, with first pitch set for 12 p.m. EDT on SEC Network + on Watch ESPN.
