No.14 South Carolina softball opened the 2026 season at home with the Gamecock Invitational from Jan. 5-8 to start the season with a 3-2 record.
The Gamecocks dropped the first game of the season against No. 21 Virginia Tech 4-8 on Thursday. South Carolina then earned its first win of the season with a dominant 15-2 win over Syracuse.
Friday saw another matchup against the Hokies, with the Gamecocks dropping that matchup 5-8. On Sunday, South Carolina earned back-to-back run rule wins in a doubleheader against Binghamton and Winthrop to start out the season 3-2.
South Carolina collapses in the sixth inning to drop season opener
The No. 14 South Carolina Gamecocks dropped their first game of the season 8-4 to the No. 21 Virginia Tech Hokies Feb. 5. The loss was determined by a dominant sixth inning by Virginia Tech, in which the Gamecocks allowed seven runs.
The Gamecocks and Hokies were knotted at zero after the first two innings of the game. South Carolina was close to getting on the board in the bottom of the first inning when it left two runners stranded in scoring position.
South Carolina eventually struck first in the bottom of the third inning when redshirt junior infielder Lexie Shaver, who was pinch running at the time, scored on a wild pitch.
The Hokies quickly tied the game 1-1 in the top of the fourth inning, when freshman infielder Gaby Mizelle brought in a run on an RBI single.
The Gamecocks opened up a lead in the bottom of the fifth inning when they scored three runs to create a lead of 4-1.
With the bases loaded, sophomore infielder Tate Davis knocked in two runs on a single up the middle. During the next at bat, an errant throw by the Virginia Tech catcher trying to catch Davis stealing second allowed a South Carolina runner advance to home and extend its lead to 4-1.
The very next inning, the Hokies rebelled back into the ball game, scoring seven runs. The Hokies had their way with South Carolina’s defense in the sixth inning by hitting a home run, loading up the bases and capitalizing on two defensive errors.
Junior pitcher Emma Friedel struggled in her South Carolina debut, allowing a home run to senior utility player Kylie Aldridge on her very first pitch as a Gamecock. The Kennesaw State transfer allowed five earned runs in the sixth inning without recording an out.
South Carolina bounces back, earns first run-rule win of the season
The Gamecocks earned their first win of the season Friday night against Syracuse, 15-2. South Carolina had 12 hits on the night and scored in all four innings to eventually earn a run-rule victory.
The action started at the bottom of the first inning with senior infielder Arianna Rodi blasting the Gamecocks' first home run of the season.
Following a walk from senior catcher Lexi Winters to load the bases, senior designated player Jamie Mackay reached on a fielder’s choice, scoring Ensley and Davis.
Singles from sophomore infielder Shae Anderson and redshirt senior outfielder Quincee Lilio started the bottom of the second inning.
Rodi singled to right center and advanced to second, scoring Anderson. Lilio and freshman outfielder Dakota Potter scored on a double from Davis, giving the Gamecocks a seven-run lead after two innings.
The Gamecock offense exploded in the third inning with a six-run performance to double the lead against Syracuse. RBI hits from Lilio, Ensley, junior infielders Karley Shelton and Alyssa Hovermale and freshman outfielder Kai Byars all contributed to the big inning.
Syracuse scored two runs in the top of the fourth inning but was unable to produce any more offense in the loss. South Carolina scored two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to secure the 15-2 run-rule victory Friday.
Gamecocks drop second meeting with Hokies Saturday
The Gamecocks dropped their second matchup against Virginia Tech 8-5 Saturday night.
Lilio had the first hit of the evening in the first inning with a single into center field. A two-out double from Davis scored Lilio, giving the Gamecocks an early 1-0 lead.
Winters blasted a double in the bottom of the second to give the Gamecocks another opportunity to score. Byars had her first collegiate home run following a walk by Anderson, pushing the Gamecocks out 4-0.
The Hokies quickly cut into the Gamecocks' lead in the third inning with a two-run home run from junior catcher Zoe Yaeger. Junior infielder Michelle Chatfield added a solo home run in the next at-bat to put the Hokies down one.
A two-out double for Mizelle put runners in scoring position for the Hokies. A two-RBI single from junior utility Emma Mazzarone gave the Hokies a 5-4 lead in the third.
The offensive momentum continued for the Hokies with back-to-back singles in the fifth inning. With two outs, junior outfielder Addison Foster had an RBI single to give the Hokies a 7-4 lead.
Ensley had a two-out RBI double to give the Gamecocks another opportunity to come back in the sixth inning. Winters struck out to end the inning and left the 10th Gamecock runner of the day on base.
Virginia Tech added one more run in the seventh to beat the Gamecocks 8-5.
South Carolina tops Binghamton, earning second run-rule win of season
South Carolina earned its second win of the season against the Bearcats 9-1, after the run rule was declared in the sixth inning.
The Gamecocks first saw action with an RBI triple from Ensley in the bottom of the second inning. A throwing error by the second baseman then allowed Ensley to steal home and earn a 1-0 South Carolina lead.
By the fourth inning, the Bearcats capitalized after two singles to put runners in the corners. Binghamton was ultimately able to score after a hit ball sailed into the outfield, allowing a runner to come home.
In the fifth inning, the Gamecocks put away any chances the Bearcats had of taking the lead.
A bunt from Lilio, doubles from Shelton and Davis along with RBI singles from Anderson and sophomore utility Precious Bross helped bring the score to 8-1 in favor of South Carolina.
South Carolina then sealed its win in the bottom of the sixth inning with a home run by Rodi, her second of the season.
South Carolina dominates Winthrop in third run-rule win of the weekend
The Gamecocks bounced back Sunday afternoon with another dominant win, this time against Winthrop. South Carolina had 15 hits on the day with four home runs en route to the victory.
South Carolina struck early in the bottom of the first inning after loading the bases with hits from Lilio and Davis, along with a walk from Rodi. Lilio had the first run of the game after scoring off a wild pitch. An RBI single from Ensley and a sacrifice fly from Winters helped give the Gamecocks a 3-0 lead.
The Gamecock offense picked right back up in the second inning with Mackay and sophomore outfielder Nia McKnight reaching with singles. Shelton blasted her first home run of the season to double the lead 6-0.
RBI hits from Ensley and Winters tacked on three more runs for the Gamecocks, pushing the lead to 9 after two innings.
Lilio continued her dominant day with an RBI double in the third, scoring McKnight, who doubled down the left-field line to lead off the inning. South Carolina would go on to add two more runs in the inning with a sacrifice fly from Davis and Shelton scoring off a fielder’s choice.
The Gamecocks hit three home runs in the fourth inning from McKnight, Shelton and Ensley to take a commanding 18-0 lead against the Eagles.
What's Next?
South Carolina hosts the Carolina Classic starting Feb. 13 with a doubleheader against Louisville and Boston University. Game one starts at 1:30 and will be streaming on SEC Network+.