Gamecocks Win Two To Win Columbia Regional
May 20, 2018
COLUMBIA, S.C. –For just the second time in school history and the first time since 2007, No. 9-seeded South Carolina softball advanced to a super regional after capturing the Columbia Regional Championship on Sunday with a pair of wins over Liberty. The Gamecocks defeated Liberty 2-0 in the first game to force a game 7 before closing the regional with a 5-0 victory.
After watching the season come down to their last out just 24 hours before, Carolina (49-15) jumped on Liberty early with a run in the bottom of the second to take an early 1-0 lead in the winner-take-all game.
From there, the teams showed some great defense and pitching as they traded three-straight scoreless innings before the Gamecocks blew open the game in the bottom of the sixth.
Krystan White, the hero from the night before, opened the scoring up once more in the sixth with a double to left, scoring Jana Johns to make it 2-0 Gamecocks. Just a few batters later, Mackenzie Boesel tripled to score two more and extend the lead to 4-0 in favor of the Gamecocks.
Cayla Drotar (21-6) plated the final run with a single to left, making it 5-0 Gamecocks.
Drotar earned the victory in the circle, going seven innings with just four hits allowed and four strikeouts.
The Gamecocks opened the day with a 2-0 win over the Flames, as Drotar plated the only runs of the game with a two-run home run in the top of the third to help the Gamecocks to victory.
Dixie Raley (14-4) earned the victory in the circle, going the distance to force the winner-take-all game Carolina would eventually win.
Notes
- With today’s wins, Carolina moved to 49-15 on the year. Carolina is now one win away from 50, which would be the first time since 1997 the Gamecocks have reached that mark or better.
- How about Mackenzie Boesel and Krystan White at the plate the last three games of the regional. Boesel hit a team-best .625 with five hits and two RBI while White went .400 with four hits and three RBI.
- As a team in regional action, the Gamecocks hit three home runs and posted a .333 on-base percentage.
- This marks the second-straight time in a Columbia Regional the Gamecocks have won their first game, dropped the second and came back to win three-straight games in the regional.
