Gamecocks Start SEC Play With Win At Georgia
Carolina takes down Bulldogs on Friday night
ATHENS, GA. —- No. 15 South Carolina softball opened its 2020 SEC slate with a 4-2 victory over No. 13 Georgia on Friday night at Jack Turner Softball Stadium. Carolina held a 3-0 advantage through three innings and never looked back as freshman Karsen Ochs tossed a career-best nine strikeouts in a complete-game victory.
With plays worthy of SportsCenter all around the infield, Ochs (4-1) allowed just six hits from the powerful Bulldog lineup as Carolina handed Georgia its first loss at home in 18 games this season.
Kassidy Krupit, in her SEC debut, plated two runs while Katie Prebble also recorded an RBI to go along with the five Carolina hits.
South Carolina (15-4, 1-0 SEC) entered conference action having won nine of its past 10 games but hungry for more after dropping the series to Georgia in 2019.
The Gamecocks started the scoring effort in the top of the first as Krupit singled up the middle to score Mackenzie Boesel from second to take a 1-0 lead through one.
After a scoreless second from both, Carolina picked up the scoring once more in the top of the third thanks to an errant Bulldog throw on a Kenzi Maguire bunt to plate a run. Krupit later singled in her second at-bat of the night to score another run and make it 3-0 Gamecocks through three.
Georgia (20-5, 0-1) looked poise for a big inning in the fourth with two runs of its own. Boesel’s heads-up play on a ball up the middle to throw the runner out at home for out No. 3 saved a run and secured the 3-2 Carolina lead through four.
Prebble gave the Garnet and Black and little more room to work with in the seventh with a sinlge to left to score Jana Johns and give Carolina the 4-2 lead it wouldn’t surrender.
Krupit finished the night 2-for-3 on the night while Prebble went 2-for-4. Haley Simpson added a hit, as well.
UP NEXT
Carolina returns to action against No. 15 Georgia tomorrow in Athens, Ga., looking for the series win with a 2:00 PM first pitch on SEC Network+. Live stats will also be available on gamecocksonline.com.
