Thanks to electric second and third innings on Wednesday night, the No. 17 South Carolina softball team forced the mercy rule and beat Winthrop 10-1 in five innings at Beckham Field.
The Gamecocks' bats were red hot during the chilly mid-week game as eight different Gamecocks garnered at least one hit against the Eagles.
Graduate student infielder Mackenzie Boesel highlighted the matchup with a three-RBI double in the second to get the ball rolling for South Carolina. After that, the Gamecocks continued to pour it on, totaling ten hits in the condensed game.
“We’re going out and we’re playing Gamecock softball,” freshman outfielder Carlee Henderson said. “We’re playing our brand of softball which is just get on base and hit some solid balls. I think we did that very well tonight.”
This dynamic hitting was especially impressive with Winthrop starting pitcher Madyson Watson. Watson rode into Columbia on a hot streak, issuing 48 strikeouts and just five walks in her last 25.2 innings, earning her Big South Co-Pitcher of the Week honors.
But against South Carolina, Watson allowed six runs on six hits and only struck out two Gamecocks in 1.2 innings of work.
“The difference was when we got our hit against [Watson] and we had people on and it just counted for extra runs,” head coach Beverly Smith said. “I think we were able to capitalize in certain situations, but she certainly is a very good pitcher.”
The South Carolina defense made huge contributions to its win, turning double plays and forcing four Eagles to be left on base.
Pitcher Kelsey Oh also put on an impressive performance of her own for the Gamecocks. She struck out five Winthrop hitters and allowed just five hits and a run in a complete game for the senior.
What’s next?
The Gamecocks will now hit the road after an eight-game homestand to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for the UNC Tournament. South Carolina will play Elon on Friday and UConn and North Carolina on Saturday.
Elon is coming off a disappointing weekend, getting swept by Clemson with two games ending via mercy rule. UConn is traveling to the Tar Heel State after a 2-3 weekend with wins over Lamar and Baylor.
North Carolina is also coming off a subpar tournament performance after going 1-4 in the Crimson Classic. The Gamecocks and Tar Heels were set to meet in Columbia earlier this season, but the pair of games was canceled due to weather.
South Carolina’s games against Elon and UConn will not be streamed or televised, but the final game against North Carolina can be viewed on the ACC Network.