Black Homers Twice, No. 22 Gamecocks Defeat Charleston Southern

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 22 ranked South Carolina softball team (23-10) took game one of its doubleheader with Charleston Southern (14-16) 6-0 Wednesday afternoon (March 27), before the rains rolled in forcing game two to be suspended in the top of the second inning.

Aniyah Black led Carolina at the plate going 2-for-3 with two home runs and four RBIs. Marissa Gonzalez also went 2-for-3, while Riley Blampied scored a pair of runs.

Jori Heard (6-1) came on for the final five innings, retiring all 13 batters she faced. Bailey Betenbaugh made her first appearance on the season, throwing the first two innings, scattering three hits, and striking out two.

The Gamecocks jumped on the Buccaneers early in the first inning. After a one-out walk to Blampied, Black fought back from an 0-2 count to crush her first home run of the day to left field.

They would add to the lead in the second on a pair of singles from Gonzalez and Karley Shelton to put runners on second and third. A sacrifice fly to center by Brooke Blankenship scored Gonzalez easily.

Heard entered the game in the third with runners on first and second. What happened next has never happened in the recorded history of Carolina softball (since at least 2000), a rare triple play. A bunt by Weslin Jones was caught by Black. Will both runners moving on contact, Black threw to Shelton covering first, and then over to Blampied who was covering second to complete the triple play. It’s the fourth triple play recorded this season in Division I.

Carolina added to the lead in the fifth, as all three runs came with two outs. Blampied walked to get it started. Kianna Jones doubled off the wall in center field, scoring Blampied from first. Black stepped in and on the second pitch, deposited the ball into the netting in left field for her third home run of the season.

Game two began with a bang as Jones connected on her fourth home run of the season in the bottom of the first with two outs.

But just 20 minutes into game two, the rains began to fall, forcing the umpires to call for the tarp. The game was suspended not long after. The game will be resumed in the top of the second at a date to be determined later in the season.

South Carolina returns to SEC play this weekend for a three-game series at Ole Miss March 29-31.

For the latest on South Carolina Softball, visit GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team’s social media accounts on Twitter @GamecockSoftbll, Facebook /GamecockSoftball, and Instagram @GamecockSoftball.