Masters sisters lead offensive charge for Gamecocks
The Gamecock Softball team took care of business this weekend against SEC foe Ole Miss, capped off by Sunday night’s 7-6 come from behind victory, for the clean sweep.
The first game, which was pushed to Saturday afternoon after a cancellation due to rain, started off looking as though the Rebels were going to make quick work of the Gamecocks. However, the team made it clear that they weren’t going down without a fight and after a quick pitching change and a little pep talk, the team rattled off nine unanswered runs to take the game 9-5.
The second game of the impromptu doubleheader featured an offensive explosion by the Gamecocks; lead by four RBIs from Freshman Lauren Masters as well as the 8 walks given up by Ole Miss pitchers, the mercy rule was invoked after the sixth at a score of 13-5.
Sunday’s game looked incredibly bleak until the bottom of the fifth inning when, down 6-1, the Masters sisters caught fire and blasted in two RBIs apiece to cut it to 6-5. With the same score holding in the bottom of the seventh, the Ole Miss closer lost control, walking 3 batters and allowing 2 more hits in what can be described as nothing more than a complete debacle. The Gamecocks walked away (literally) from it all with a 7-6 victory and their first sweep of an SEC opponent.
The incredible offensive output this weekend began and ended with Lauren and Ashlyn Masters. The latter, older Masters sister led the way with six hits, four RBIs and three walks to go along with her dinger in the first game which kick-started the nine-run onslaught.
She also became the first Gamecock since 2005 to earn SEC Player of the Week honors. Overall, she was just happy to a play a part in some much-needed victories.
“Yeah, I’m really happy with how the team played this weekend and I guess the whole week overall,” Masters said. “We had been having a pretty tough time lately, especially in SEC play and I think some people were starting to doubt our potential so after this 3 wins I think we at least feel relevant again.”
Masters also seemed to have a pretty succinct answer for the Gamecock’s struggles as of late.
“I mean we started off playing against some of the best teams in the nation and once we lost a couple games, we just weren’t able to get over the hump and win any, even though we were so close a couple of times,” Masters said. “I think once we started losing, the doubt just started to creep in and before you know it we had lost four or five straight a couple of times.”
After talking to Ashlyn, she started to walk away, but at the last second turned around and delivered one more quote that she wanted highlighted above everything else.
“Oh and just so we’re clear,” Masters said. “I think we’ve righted the ship.”