No. 23 South Carolina softball fell to the Clemson Tigers 8-0 in six innings on Wednesday night at Beckham Field. The game marked the first of two matchups that the Gamecocks and Tigers will play this season as part of the Palmetto Series.
Right off the bat, a dominant four-run first inning placed Clemson with a comfortable lead.
Clemson's first batter of the game reached third base after a single down the right field line led to a fielding error from senior catcher Jamie Mackay. The Tigers' next batter, junior infielder Kiley Channell, knocked in their first run of the inning on a single down the left field line.
A walk and two subsequent singles by Clemson then increased its lead to 3-0. After just six batters, junior pitcher Nealy Lamb's day was cut short as the Gamecocks brought in senior pitcher Jori Heard.
After Heard's first batter reached base on an in-field single, the Tigers loaded the bases with just one out. Clemson capitalized on the opportunity, as a walk allowed Clemson to bring in one more runner and take a 4-0 lead to mark the top of the first inning.
“It wasn’t great. It wasn’t a great start to the game, so I thought it put us on our heels really early," head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard said. "Living it live, it was like they knew where the ball was going right when (Nealy) let go of it.”
The Gamecock offense then got its chance in the batter's box. First at bat, redshirt senior outfielder Quincee Lilio managed to hit a short bunt to gain some momentum. However, the inning ended quickly following strikeouts from both junior infielder Karley Shelton and senior infielder Arianna Rodi. A single from junior utility Tori Ensley also led to Lilio being ruled out at second base.
During the second inning, a Clemson runner was hit by a pitch and managed to find her way to third after a groundout and a wild pitch. The Tigers were able to tack on another run after an RBI single by sophomore right fielder Macey Cintron.
South Carolina struggled to get anything going throughout the course of the game, recording just four hits on the night. This was the second time all season that the Gamecocks' offense has been shutout.
The Tigers were able to add another run in the fourth inning after a single up the middle by sophomore infielder Marian Collins.
The bottom of the fourth saw little action from the Gamecocks as the Tigers quickly earned three outs following a line out from Ensley, a pop-up from Rodi and a fly out from Mackay. At this point, Clemson was still in the lead 6-0.
South Carolina made another pitching change to start the fifth inning, with freshman pitcher KG Favors taking the mound. However, three back-to-back singles saw Clemson score once more.
Favors managed to earn a strikeout before another pitching change occurred, with sophomore pitcher Julie Kelley taking the reigns. Following this, the top of the inning came to an end after a Tiger line out and fly out.
The Tigers got to eight-run mercy mark in the top of the sixth inning by scoring an additional run. A leadoff single helped eventually get the game-sealing run home after an RBI double by junior infielder Julia Knowler.
In South Carolina's last-ditch effort, Rodi managed to earn a walk. However, a hit up to second base from Mackay resulted in Rodi being ruled out, ending the game and securing an 8-0 Clemson win.
“They outplayed us in every facet of the game, which I take full responsibility for," Chastain Woodard said. "We have a lot of tough games in front of us, so we’ve got to figure out how to keep morale high, how to play better defense, pitch better, hit a lot better."
What's next?
South Carolina will travel to Starkville, Mississippi, to take on Mississippi State, a series that will take place from March 28-30. The first game will take place at 3 p.m., followed by a 7 p.m. start time for the following two games. The first game will be broadcast on the SEC+ Network, while the next two will be broadcast on the SEC Network.