South Carolina softball dropped all three games to the No. 6 Florida Gators this weekend, ending in a 6-1 defeat at Beckham Field Sunday afternoon. The Gamecocks were no-hit in Friday's 5-0 loss, and had no answer for the Gators in a 15-2 blowout Saturday night.
The Gamecocks were outscored 26-3 over the weekend in their fifth consecutive series loss in conference play.
South Carolina falls to Florida in a no-hit game
Senior pitcher Jori Heard earned her 10th start of the season and opened for the Gamecocks with a no-hit inning. Heard finished just over five innings of work with six strikeouts.
Florida threatened in the top of the second with redshirt freshman Townsen Thomas hitting a single up center field and advancing to second on a fielding error. Senior infielder Kendall Grover followed suit with a single and proceeded to steal second.
The Gators earned the first run of the game with an RBI single by junior outfielder Cassidy McLellan that sent Thomas home. An out at first ended the second 1-0 in favor of the Gators.
Junior pitcher Nealy Lamb took the circle for Heard to finish out the top of the fifth.
To kick off the sixth, Thomas singled to third for Florida. Grover and junior designated player Ava Brown drew back-to-back walks from Lamb. Heard returned to the circle as the Gators loaded the bases with no outs for the Gamecocks.
Florida earned its second run off a walk drawn by McLellan, sending Thomas home. A sacrificial fly by junior pinch hitter Ella Wesolowski allowed Grover to score and stretched the Gators' lead to 3-0.
Junior pitcher Emma Friedel replaced Heard entering the top of the seventh.
Senior shortstop Kenleigh Cahalan singled to left field before Thomas hit an RBI home run, bringing her home and upping the score to 5-0 for Florida in the seventh.
South Carolina ultimately struggled in the box against Florida’s junior pitcher Keagan Rothrock, who didn't allow a base hit in a complete game effort.
“Kudos to her for the no-hitter,” head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard said post-game. “Hard to do in this league.”
Gamecocks drop series to Florida in Saturday loss
After suffering a no-hitter in Game 1, South Carolina ended its hitting drought on a solo home run in the second inning from junior utility player Tori Ensley.
The Gamecocks continued with senior catcher Lexi Winters walking and redshirt senior infielder Natalie Heath getting hit by a pitch. Redshirt senior outfielder Quincee Lilio doubled with two outs, bringing in a run.
South Carolina threaten with bases loaded. However, senior infielder Arianna Rodi flew out to center, ending the second with a 2-0 Gamecock lead.
Florida answered back in the third after Lamb put two runners on. Heard relieved Lamb but gave up a three-run home run to Florida senior catcher Jocelyn Erickson.
South Carolina pitching continued to struggle as Heard gave up another three-run home run to McLellan to increase the Gator lead to 6-2 after the third inning.
Erickson hit another three-run homer in the fourth inning against sophomore pitcher Julie Kelley. The Gators scored another run on an RBI single, giving Florida an eight-run lead over the Gamecocks.
In the fifth inning, Florida hit its fourth three-run home run of the day, which came off the bat of Cahalan. The Gators scored two more runs on a single and a fielder’s choice in the fifth, making it a 15-2 game.
Overall, South Carolina’s pitching struggled against Florida, resulting in five pitchers being used and four three-run home runs being given up.
"I think command is really important, and they didn't have it," Chastain Woodward said.
This game marks South Carolina's fifth series loss in conference play of the season.
South Carolina suffers second series sweep to Florida
The weekend ultimately ended with a 6-1 defeat against the Gators Sunday afternoon.
Heard started in the circle for the Gamecocks in the final game of the weekend set against Florida. She finished four innings with three strikeouts.
Sophomore centerfielder Taylor Shumaker opened for the Gators with an at-the-fence double. Erickson hit an RBI single up center field, sending Shumaker home and giving Florida the first lead.
Offensively, South Carolina looked for redemption against Rothrock in the box. Junior second baseman Karley Shelton hit a solo home run to right field, her fifth of the season, tying the game 1-1 to end the third.
Grover kicked off the fourth for Florida with a single to left center. McLellan drew a walk from Heard, and Grover advanced to second. Junior catcher Madison Walker hit an RBI double, earning Grover the Gators’ second run.
Continuing the top of the fourth, sophomore second baseman Gabi Comia reached on a fielding error, and McLellan extended the lead to 3-1 with a third run for Florida.
Erickson opened the fifth for the Gators with an at-the-fence double. Cahalan walked to first, and Lamb replaced Heard in the circle. Thomas singled up centerfield, loading the bases with no outs for Florida. Grover hit a three-RBI double, bringing the score to 6-1 in favor of the Gators.
Junior pitcher Olivia Miller replaced Rothrock in the bottom of the sixth for the Gators. Rothrock ended nearly six innings with six strikeouts.
Friedel replaced Lamb at the top of the seventh. Lamb finished two innings with two strikeouts.
South Carolina’s 6-1 loss solidified a series sweep to the Gators, its second sweep of the season. This weekend, the Gamecocks suffered offensively, with just three runs in the three-game set. Chastain Woodard addressed the offensive outcome post-game.
"We had some hits and just left them on, which is disappointing for sure," Chastain Woodard said. "Definitely something for us to evaluate and continue to challenge in our training and challenge the offense to be able to score more runs."
What's next?
The Gamecocks travel to face off against Clemson in the final installment of the 2025-26 Palmetto Series Tuesday afternoon. First pitch will be at 6 p.m. at Clemson's McWhorter Stadium. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.