No. 19 Softball Earns Series Sweep at No. 8 Duke

DURHAM, N.C. – The 19th ranked South Carolina softball team (19-0) earned the series sweep at No. 8 Duke (14-5) Sunday afternoon (Mar. 2) with a 12-7 victory.

Arianna Rodi led the Gamecocks with a 3-for-4 day with three RBIs and two runs scored. Lexi Winters and Abigail Knight each had two hits and two RBIs. Brooke Blankenship and Natalie Heath also drove in a pair of runs.

The Blue Devils jumped out to an early lead, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first. The Gamecocks got three runs back in the top of the second. Ella Chancey led off with a double, extending her on-base streak to 19 games. Blankenship followed with a double of her own for her 100th career hit and scoring Chancey. Two outs later, Heath connected on her first career home run to left field.

Carolina took the lead for good in the third, plating five runs. Quincee Lilio led off the inning with a single, extending her on-base streak to 19 games and her hitting streak to 18 games. Two batters later, Rodi absolutely crushed a 2-1 pitch 272 feet to dead center for her eighth home run of the season. After another Chancey double, Winters brought her home on a double. One pitch later, Knight connected on her first home run of the season to right field.

Duke cut the deficit to one with a three-run home run in the fourth.

In the seventh, the Gamecocks put the game away with four runs. A pair of walks led to Rodi bringing home a run on a single to center. Back-to-back sacrifice flies followed from Chancey and Blankenship. Winters capped off the day with her third home run of the season.

Sam Gress (3-0) earned the victory in four innings of relief. She allowed three runs on five hits and struck out five. Jori Heard earned her first save of the year, allowing one hit in two innings of work.

The Gamecocks return home to face Youngstown State Wednesday (Mar. 5) at 6 p.m.

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.