The South Carolina softball team won 29-2 in its preseason exhibition game against Furman on Friday at Beckham Field.
South Carolina’s bats came alive early, as they scored three runs in the bottom of the second inning, with junior infielder Alyssa Hovermale hitting a two-run double and freshman outfielder Kai Byars reaching base on an error to center field.
Furman struck in the top of the third, gaining two runs back. After junior starting pitcher Emma Friedel walked a batter and Hovermale committed an error, Furman sophomore infielder Kate Stoltzfus brought the two runners home with a double to right field, pulling them within one.
However, the Gamecocks dominated every inning from the bottom of the third onward. South Carolina answered back to Furman’s runs in the third with their own two runs. They exploded offensively over the next few innings, scoring two or more runs in every inning besides the ninth.
A string of timely hits, baserunning expertise and sophomore infielder Tate Davis' grand slam put the Gamecocks into double digits. The team continued to pile on runs late in the game, capitalizing on Furman’s errors and stretched pitching staff.
By the end of the ten innings, South Carolina had put up 29 runs compared to Furman’s two, which were both scored in the third inning.
Gamecocks erupt at plate
Over ten innings, South Carolina rallied for a total of 29 hits, while its pitching only gave up four. Two Gamecocks led the charge at the plate Friday night.
One of these Gamecocks was junior infielder Karley Shelton. Shelton helped lead the offense with a strong night at the plate, recording a double, triple and several key hits that helped fuel South Carolina’s early run scoring.
Davis powered the Gamecocks' offense with multiple hits, including two RBI singles, one RBI triple and a pivotal grand slam in the fifth that put South Carolina firmly in control of the game.
Production from transfers
The Gamecocks added many transfers to their team during the offseason: ten players in total. These additions made a significant impact during the game.
Junior utility player Tori Ensley is a first-year transfer from N.C. State. During Friday’s exhibition, she had a total of three hits: two doubles and a single. She also worked a walk.
Hovermale, a transfer from Florida, also contributed multiple hits, including a double in the second and a triple in the fifth to keep the offense rolling.
Strikeout-heavy
South Carolina pitching combined for a total of 17 strikeouts over the 10 innings played.
Friedel, who started the game, went two and a third innings and had five total strikeouts, including a perfect second inning where she struck out the side.
Junior pitcher Nealy Lamb came in as a relief pitcher in the third inning, and she was taken out after the fifth. In those innings, she had a total of five strikeouts.
Freshman utility player Ansley Bennett relieved Lamb in the fifth and went two innings with three strikeouts.
Finally, sophomore pitcher Julie Kelley and freshman pitcher KG Favors combined to close out the game. Kelley pitched the eighth and ninth while Favors pitched the tenth. They had a total of four combined strikeouts.
What’s next?
South Carolina will return to Beckham field next Friday at 6 p.m. for another exhibition game, this time against USCB, before the Garnet & Black World Series.