Gamecocks Use Two Four-Run Innings To Earn Run-Rule Victory Over Upstate

COLUMBIA, S.C. —- No. 15 South Carolina softball used a pair of four-run innings to earn a 10-2 run-rule victory in six innings over USC Upstate on Wednesday night at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field in the final midweek game of the 2019 season.  
 
Carolina had four different batters produce multi-hit performances to help the Gamecocks to a 14-hit night. With the win, the Gamecocks have won 22-straight non-conference games and have outscored the Spartans 17-3 in 13 innings over the past two years. 
 
Cayla Drotar (9-5) earned her third-consecutive win in the circle in three innings of work with just one hit allowed and a strikeout. 
 
South Carolina (32-12, 7-10 SEC) didn’t panic when USC Upstate hit a solo home run in the first and second innings to jump out to a 2-0 lead heading to the bottom of the second. 
 
Instead, Carolina scored four runs in the bottom frame after Jana Johns started the Gamecock second with a single to left to score two and tie the game at 2-2. Kennedy Clark singled the next at-bat to plate a run and give the home squad its first lead of the night at 3-2 through two innings of action. 
 
Both teams traded a scoreless third before Drotar continued the scoring in the bottom of the fourth with a double to score a run and extend the lead to 4-2 before Lauren Stewart plated a run to make it 6-2 Gamecocks through four. 
 
A scoreless fifth was followed with a South Carolina four-run sixth capped with Mackenzie Boesel’s RBI sacrifice fly out to seal the run-rule victory at 10-2. 
 
Madison Owens and Johns finished the night with three hits while Clark and Karly Heath had two. Boesel, Stewart and Alexis Lindsey also produced hits in the contest. 
 
NOTES

• Madison Owens and Jana Johns both had three hits on the night. It was the first time this season Owens had done so and the third time for Johns. 
• Carolina finished the night with 14 hits. It was the second-straight game with 10 or more hits and the third most the Gamecocks have had in a single game this season. 
• South Carolina has been on fire over the past 10 games, posting a 7-3 record with a .328 batting average while outscoring opponents 57-38 (+19). Mackenzie Boesel has led the way at the plate batting .485 with 16 hits and nine RBI. 
• Speaking of the past 10, Jana Johns is hitting .452 on 14 hits while Madison Owens is batting .409 with nine. Between the trio that’s 39 hits (47 percent of all of Carolina’s during the 10 games) with 12 (31 percent of the 39 hits) going for extra bases. 
• South Carolina improved to 25-2 in non-conference games this season with the victory. Carolina also improved to 18-5 at home with five games at Carolina Softball Stadium remaining as it will look to win 20 or more games at home for the sixth-straight year.