Softball Alumni Hoping for Better Outcome After Memorable 1983 WCWS Loss

While South Carolina softball fans are anxiously awaiting this weekend’s NCAA Super Regional where the Gamecocks will host UCLA, a group of former Gamecocks are hoping for some long-awaited payback, dating back 42 years. That’s when South Carolina and UCLA squared off in an epic 17-inning marathon at the 1983 Women’s College World series, with the Bruins winning 2-1 in what is now tied for the second longest game in the event’s history.

“I just can’t look at UCLA anymore,” laughed Shirley Burton, who was the first baseman on the 1983 team and is now a caregiver for the elderly in Fayetteville, N.C. “We knew we were playing one of the best teams in the nation. We were ready and knew we could win these games. Back then, softball on the west side of the U.S. was popular, but it wasn’t as popular in the South. So, playing in that atmosphere was just electric. I think we surprised some people, and the program got a lot of fanfare because of it.”

“UCLA has a lot of history and tradition in softball that you always hear about, and I always think, ugh, we had our chance and didn’t get it done!” said Loui Piel, who was the 25-year-old first-year head coach for the Gamecocks in 1983. “There were some great plays on both sides. Both teams had runners in scoring position at different times. We both had strong pitchers and good defenses. We only had two seniors. We were a young team, but they all had good experience at high levels of competition, and they knew they could compete with UCLA. I feel like if we had won that game, we could have gone on and won the national title.”

“It was a long day,” said Cindy Long, who was the designated hitter for the Gamecocks that day and was named to the all-tournament team. She is now the clinical manager of respiratory care at Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge Hospital in Columbia. “Darlene Lowery pitched all 17 innings for us, and Debbie Doom pitched all 17 innings for UCLA. We should have won that game.”

In 1983, college softball was only in its second year as an NCAA sponsored sport. South Carolina was making its first College World Series appearance under Lou Piel, who guided the Gamecocks to a 30-10 record despite being hired just a few months before the season started. The World Series was then played in Omaha, Nebraska from 1982-1986.

UCLA, which included legendary shortstop Dot Richardson, had won the inaugural NCAA WCWS the year before, and this was only the second meeting between the two programs. Adding to the drama, it was reported that several of the UCLA players were battling a stomach virus or food poisoning.

“The mood going into that game was, we can do this,” said Dee Dee (Kish) Williams, who was a utility player on the team and lives in Lexington after recently retiring from a career in teaching. “We weren’t afraid of UCLA. That game was a game where you were just waiting for something to happen. The pitching mound was three feet closer back then. There weren’t a lot of runs scored. It was pretty devastating to lose the game the way we did.”

The Bruins won on a squeeze bunt from freshman outfielder Mary Ricks to score Sheila Cornell in the 17th inning.

“To go to 17 innings and get crushed like that on a squeeze play of all things was tough,” Burton said. “I can see that play as if I’m living it today.”

“I remember there was a little bit of controversy near the end there when we appealed a play with the runner leaving from third early,” Long said.

“When we appealed, Darlene threw the ball to third, and our shortstop went behind third, off the field, to back up the throw, and the umpire didn’t let us appeal the play because she stepped out of bounds.”

“We just didn’t think we were going to lose,” said Piel, who is retired and splits her time between Jacksonville, Fla., and Colorado where she takes care of her elderly parents. “When we did, it was just shock.”

The previous inning, UCLA’s Ricks had thrown out a potential game-winning run at the plate after the Gamecocks had scored to tie the game in the bottom of the 16th on an RBI double from Long. The Bruins had scored their first run in the top of the frame after 15 scoreless innings.

“I just remember thinking that if we had someone in scoring position, we were going to take a chance and make them make a play,” Piel said. “I don’t remember it being a bad call (at the plate). It was probably a legit play at the plate.”

Oddly enough, it didn’t remain as the longest game at the WCWS for very long. A year later, Texas A&M beat Cal Poly Pomona 1-0 in 25 innings to take over the top spot. Ironically, there was lots of “free softball” in that 1983 tournament as UCLA would later fall to Texas A&M 1-0 in 14 innings, and the Aggies would win the title 2-0 in 12 innings over Cal. State Fullerton.

Another fun fact about that 1983 WCWS was that South Carolina’s future Hall of Fame coach Joyce Compton was then the head coach at Missouri and had also brought the Tigers to the World Series that year!

Despite the heartbreak of losing that game, South Carolina did win a pair of games in the WCWS, and the former Gamecocks hope the 2025 team can get back there to create their own legacy of success.

“Our 1983 team was special, and I think they’re similar in some ways to the current team,” said Long. “We were selfless. Everybody pitched in where they could. We were all in it together.”

“When I came to Carolina, we were really the only good team on the eastern side, and there were a lot of good teams from the west,” Burton said. “I don’t think anybody picked us, and a lot of folks probably thought it was a sure win if they played us. I caught wind of that, and it made me mad and made us want to do better at the World Series. For us to go in there and win some games was big. We had a coach in Lou Piel who was young, just like (current South Carolina coach) Ashley Chastain Woodard. She has that vibe with the young kids that Coach Lou Piel had for us.”

“They’re like we were in some ways,” Williams said. “They were picked to finish last in the SEC, and they came out with nothing to lose.”

“This is a great group,” Long said. “This is a great opportunity to get more alumni involved in the program, and I’ve reached out to Coach Ahsley about being involved with that.”

A South Carolina win won’t change history, but it may just help heal an old wound for some.

“It will for me!” Williams said. “I sent Ashley a text message and said to tell the girls that some of us are going to be in the stands from that 1983 team, and we want some redemption! We will be there and playing every inning with them.”

“It would be what we’ve been looking for all these years,” Piel said. “Trust me. It has been a long time coming, and it’s due! It’s going to be different this year. South Carolina is going to pull it off!

(Below: Box Score from 1983 WCWS game)