South Carolina softball went 4-4 over spring break, hosting all but one game at Beckham Field. They began their week playing a series against their first SEC opponent followed by one game against Duke, the second-ranked ACC team. They then headed to the coast to play against Coastal Carolina and wrapped up the week with one more series against Boston College.
SEC opener against the Longhorns
The Gamecocks first hosted the No. 3 Texas Longhorns in their first SEC series of the season. The Longhorns won the first matchup 4-2 on March 6.
Texas scored first after it was able to bring a runner home off a walk with the bases loaded. However, in the bottom of the second inning, with the bases loaded, junior utility player Tori Ensley scored to tie things up 1-1 after junior infielder Alyssa Hovermale was walked.
While both teams were able to score in the third inning, Texas came out on top after a two-run home run in the top of the frame. The Gamecocks were scoreless for the rest of the game, while the Longhorns picked up one more run in the seventh inning for a 4-2 lead.
Play picked back up on March 7 when the Longhorns took down the Gamecocks 3-0 and handed South Carolina its first shutout loss of the season.
South Carolina managed to get a runner on base during the first five innings of the game, but were unable to capitalize, leaving six runners stranded, with four of those runners being in scoring position.
The Longhorns were the first to score in the sixth inning and brought in two more runs in the seventh inning after a Gamecock error, and a single out to center field brought two runners on base to home.
The series wrapped on March 8 when Texas won the final game of the series 5-2. Once again, the Longhorns scored first after a two-run home run in the third inning.
Texas then added three more runs in the fourth inning. By the sixth inning, South Carolina managed to score after a throwing error allowed redshirt senior outfielder Quincee Lilio to run home.
Freshman outfielder Kai Byars then hit a home run during the seventh inning, her second on the season, to round out the game and finish the series against Texas.
“Overall, I thought that we pitched pretty well on the weekend, especially Game 1 and Game 2. Thought we did a pretty good job in the circle,” head coach Ashley Chastain Woodward said. “Thought defensively today was our worst day, which kind of shows in the score, so we just need to make sure that we feel like we can play really good defense all the way through the series."
Midweek contest vs Duke
The Gamecocks then played one game against the Duke Blue Devils on March 10, losing 6-2.
Right off the bat, junior outfielder D’Auna Jennings hit a double, followed by two singles from junior infielder Aminah Vega and senior infielder Jessica Oakland, allowing Jennings to score.
The Blue Devils added to their lead during the first inning due to a throwing error from South Carolina. Duke also added another run during the second inning.
The Gamecocks were able to bounce back in the third inning, with Ensley hitting a double and eventually making it home after two wild pitches.
However, Duke was able to increase its lead to 3-1 during the fifth inning after Vega hit a double and eventually advanced home.
Then, during the seventh inning, Jennings hit a single, followed by a triple from Vega, which allowed both to score after a throwing error from South Carolina, 6-1. The Gamecocks’ only other run came from Ensley as she hit her fifth home run of the season.
“For me, short and sweet, it’s just not good enough. It wasn’t good enough on any facet, defensively, pitching, hitting. We left 10 on base,” Chastain Woodard said. “Unexcusable to show up and play like that, especially here in front of our fans, and we’re way too good, and we have worked way too hard for a performance like that.”
Instate battle with Coastal Carolina
South Carolina then traveled north to take on the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on March 11, winning 12-2.
The Gamecocks had 12 hits that earned 12 runs as compared to four hits for two runs for Coast Carolina. South Carolina came out looking to redeem itself after its four-game losing streak, putting up three runs in the first inning.
Junior infielder Karley Shelton led the way for the Gamecocks, going 3-4 at the plate, hitting two singles and a double, and scoring twice. The Gamecocks only added to their lead, adding six more runs in the fourth inning and another three runs in the fifth inning before the run rule was declared.
Weekend series against Boston College
South Carolina then returned to Beckham Field to take on the Boston College Eagles, beginning series play on March 13. The Gamecocks quickly took care of business, winning the first game 10-2.
South Carolina came out swinging, scoring at least one run in five out of six innings until the run rule was declared. Sophomore infielder Shae Anderson, senior catcher Jamie Mackay, Ensley and Shelton all hit home runs, propelling the Gamecocks to take a 1-0 series lead.
During the second game on March 14, the Gamecocks won 9-1 after the run rule was declared after five innings. Triples from Ensley and sophomore outfielder Nia McKnight, singles from Hovermale and Anderson and a walk-off home run from Mackay propelled the Gamecocks forward.
Then, during the final game of the series, the Gamecocks topped off the series, winning 2-1. The Eagles’ defense was able to limit the bats of South Carolina until the seventh inning. Before the seventh inning, the Eagles had maintained the lead after a lead-off home run in the third inning.
Lilio led off the seventh inning with a single, but the following two batters both hit flyouts. However, Ensley then stepped up to the plate and fired off a triple, allowing Lilio to score for a 2-1 lead. Sophomore infielder Tate Davis followed and was able to hit a single to center field, allowing Ensley to score and end the game for a series sweep over Boston College.
What's next?
South Carolina will face off against the Georgia Southern Eagles on March 18 at 6 p.m. at Beckham Field. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.