Gamecocks Drop Game To Ranked Georgia
Carolina and Bulldogs head to Sunday with series tied at 1-1
ATHENS, Ga. —- No. 15 South Carolina softball came back to tie the game in the top of the seventh facing a three-run deficit, but it wasn’t enough as No. 13 Georgia took a 6-5 win on Saturday at Jack Turner Stadium to even the series at 1-1. In the bottom of the ninth with one out and runners on the corners, Georgia’s CJ Landrum hit the ball back to the circle to force Tyler Armistead into a run-down situation between third and home before an errant throw gave the Bulldogs the walk-off victory.
Facing a 5-2 deficit in the top of the seventh with bases loaded and two outs, freshman Hannah Kumiyama came on to pinch hit and delivered with a bases clearing double to help send the Gamecocks to extra innings.
In a relief appearance, Karsen Ochs (4-2) took the loss in 2.1 innings of action allowing just three hits and one run. Karly Heath (4-0) earned her first career SEC start. She went 6.0 innings with five runs and five hits with three strikeouts.
Jana Johns and Kumiyama plated the five Carolina runs as Johns gave the Gamecocks a 2-1 lead in the top of the third with a two-run home run off the scoreboard beyond the wall in left field.
Carolina will look to take its second-straight series in Athens on Sunday with a 2:00 PM first pitch on SEC Network+.
South Carolina (15-5) faced an early deficit after a Georgia solo home run in the bottom of the first gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead through one. Johns’ eventual home run in the top of the third gave Carolina a 2-1 lead but it was short lived as Ciara Bryan’s second solo home run of the afternoon in the bottom of the third tied it a 2-2 through three.
The Bulldogs looked as though they might have done enough to earn the win in the bottom of the sixth with a three-run inning but Kumiyama’s pinch-hit double with bases loaded and two outs in the top of the seventh kept the Carolina hopes alive.
Mackenzie Boesel led the way at the plate with a 2-for-4 performance.
UP NEXT
Carolina and Georgia wrap up the series on Sunday at 2:00 PM on SEC Network+. Live stats from Athens will be provided on gamecocksonline.com.
