Gamecocks suffer second sweep in a row For the second weekend in a row, the South Carolina softball team was swept at the hands of an SEC foe.
This time, LSU had the honors, as it used virtually unhittable pitching and consistent offense to improve to 23-8, 7-1 SEC.
The Tigers’ top two pitchers, Rachele Fico and Brittany Mack, both pitched complete game shutouts and limited the Gamecocks to five hits in 14 innings pitched in the first two games, while fanning 17 USC batters.
Fico also made the start Sunday and picked up the win, throwing five innings of two-hit ball.
“Fico and Mack are two excellent pitchers,” head coach Beverly Smith said. “However, in the SEC, we have to find a way to make adjustments, get hits and put runs on the board if we want to win games. You certainly can’t win when you don’t put runs on the board.”
The loss is the Gamecocks’ (19-16, 2-9) seventh in a row, and the once formidable offense has almost disappeared. During the streak, USC has only been able to muster up four runs while getting shut out five times.
On Friday night against Fico, one of the best pitchers in the country, senior outfielder Lauren Lackey and sophomore second baseman Dana Hathorn both had two hits apiece for the Gamecocks. However, the rest of the team combined to go 0-for-19.
LSU scored five quick runs in the first two innings, and that was plenty of run support for Fico as the Tigers were able to coast to a 5-0 victory.
“Lackey can be a tough out,” Smith said. “She’s difficult to pitch to in that she is a slapper. As for Dana, she can really dig in and battle. I thought she fought hard for her two hits on Friday.”
Game 2 of the series was similar to the first game as LSU got an early lead it wouldn’t relinquish. USC made things interesting in the seventh, however, as it loaded the bases with one out, down 5-0.
Unfortunately for the Gamecocks, Mack hunkered down and got two grounders to end the USC threat.
“That was rough,” Smith said. “That is an example of how tough their pitching is. When we had runners on, they certainly seemed to bear down in that situation. Still, that’s the situation where we face this type of pitching and need that clutch hit. That’s what we are going to need right now to win some of these close games.”
USC’s junior pitcher Audrey Broyles took the loss in the second game to fall to 5-5 on the season. More important, she walked seven in her seven innings pitched. Limiting the free passes was something that Smith wanted from the team.
“For us, it’s a little bit of a mentality issue,” Smith said. “We really have to get tougher on the mound. We are certainly capable of throwing strikes, so our pitchers need to work on hitting their spots. We have to be more confident and attack the plate.”
Smith is hoping her pitchers, particularly Kierstyn White, who is 6-7 with a 4.68 ERA, will be able to bounce back.
“Kierstyn is at her best when she is throwing strikes and keeping the ball down,” Smith said. “I’ve got confidence that she will be able to come back and do that for us. It just didn’t happen for her Friday night. She can do a nice job for us.”