White Lifts Carolina To Win Over Texas With Home Run
March 13, 2018
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Hollywood couldn’t have scripted a better ending as Krystan White blasted her first-career walk-off home run to lift No. 17 South Carolina softball to a 1-0 win over Texas in eight innings Tuesday night at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field. The victory was Carolina’s first of the season in extra innings and moved the Gamecocks to 22-3 on the year.
White finished the night 2-for-3, with the most memorable hit sailing over the wall in leftfield in the bottom of the eighth to start the inning and give the Gamecocks the lone run needed to secure the win.
“When I first did it I was like OK this one has a chance, this one has a chance,” White said. “Then I rounded for second and saw it hit the net and I was just like `let’s go. Let’s go.’ It was a rewarding feeling with all the hard work I’ve put in.”
Both teams traded scoreless innings through seven, as Cayla Drotar (11-1) pitched an absolute masterful game, throwing a season-high eight innings with just six hits while striking out three. This marked the first time a Carolina pitcher threw eight innings since Nickie Blue on Feb. 11, 2017. This was Drotar’s eighth complete game of the year, and her fourth shutout of the season.
Texas (9-11) put the first runner of the inning on four different times throughout the night, and advance a runner to third a couple more times but Drotar never flinched on her way to the pitching staff’s 11th shutout of the season.
Notes —
Carolina played its first extra-innings game of the season against Texas, moving to 1-0 on the year in extra innings.
Krystan White‘s deep shot tonight was the sixth of her career, and first of 2018. The home run was her first-career walk-off home run and Carolina’s first of 2018.
This marked Carolina’s first walk-off victory since March 8, 2017.
Head coach Beverly Smith moved to 249-181 following the victory. She is the second-winningest coach in school history.
Up next — Carolina hits the road once again this weekend to open up SEC play against Ole Miss with a three-game series starting Friday at 7:00 PM ET on SEC Network Plus. Live stats will also be on gamecocksonline.com.
