Kumiyama Walk-Off Homer Takes Down Georgia
COLUMBIA, S.C. —- No. 14 South Carolina softball’s Alyssa Kumiyama blasted her second home run of the night in the bottom of the eleventh inning to lead Carolina to a 3-2 walk-off win over No. 15 Georgia on Friday night at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field. Kumiyama delivered in the first and final innings with a two-run home run to start the game and a solo blast to end it as the Gamecocks took their first Friday night SEC game of the year.
Carolina never trailed after taking a 2-0 lead through one inning and found a way to battle back to the victory after the Bulldogs tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the sixth.
The walk-off victory was the second on the year for the Gamecocks and the second off the bat of Kumiyama.
South Carolina (35-12, 8-10 SEC) refused to be denied as a combination of timely pitching and Kumiyama’s bat lifted the squad to its eighth win over a top-25 ranked opponent this season.
Kelsey Oh earned the start in the circle going four innings with four hits and just one run allowed as she left the game with Carolina leading 2-1 heading to the fifth thanks to Kumiyama’s two-run home run in the bottom of the first.
Georgia (34-16, 7-12) responded with an additional run in the top of the sixth to tie things up at 2-2 heading to the seventh before the two teams traded scoreless innings the next nine frames.
With one out in the bottom of the eleventh, Kumiyama stepped to the plate for the fifth time and delivered once more with a home run over the wall in left to give the Gamecocks the 3-2 win.
Cayla Drotar (11-5) earned the win in the circle going seven innings in relief with just two hits allowed and four strikeouts.
Kumiyama, Mackenzie Boesel and Madison Owens had two hits on the night while Kennedy Clark added one of her own.
NOTES:
- Carolina earned its first Friday night SEC win of the year. The previous victory on Friday night in conference play came 364 days ago against Mississippi State at home. The Gamecocks went on to sweep that series.
- With the win, South Carolina has taken five of the past six games over the Bulldogs.
- The Gamecocks hit two home runs tonight to put the season total at 63, just two shy of tying the school record for home runs in a season. The current mark, 65, was set it 2018.
- South Carolina has been hot of late at the plate, including a stretch of eight home runs in the past three games.
- Carolina has won the past seven SEC series in which they took the Friday night game dating back to a series win over Georgia in 2017.
