South Carolina’s softball team was defeated twice by the No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers during its fourth conference series this past weekend.
The Gamecocks fell 3-1 during the first game of the series Thursday, but bounced back Friday with a 5-1 win. In the series-deciding game Saturday, South Carolina lost 4-2. Plenty of Tennessee home runs and strong pitching helped propel the Volunteers forward throughout the series.
This marks South Carolina’s fourth consecutive conference series loss.
Gamecocks drop first game 3-1 after dominant fourth inning for Volunteers
To start off the game, redshirt senior outfielder Quincee Lilio and junior utility player Tori Ensley managed to get in scoring position. However, Lilio was eventually tagged out for the Volunteers’ third out at home, leaving two on base.
Junior pitcher Nealy Lamb started on the mound for the Gamecocks, throwing the first four innings of the ball game.
Contrary to the first two innings, the Gamecocks saw lots of action in the third. Lilio walked, and junior second baseman Karley Shelton followed her on base with a single to center field. Then, both Ensley and senior infielder Arianna Rodi walked, which allowed Lilio to score at home and earn the first run for South Carolina.
Despite picking up some momentum, a pitching change occurred for Tennessee. Junior pitcher Sage Mardjetko was relieved by senior pitcher Karlyn Pickens, who quickly squandered any hopes of South Carolina scoring once more.
Nealy then took the mound in the bottom of the third and threw her third strikeout of the night en route to three quick outs.
To start the fourth inning, the Gamecocks quickly exchanged their bats for gloves following strikeouts from sophomore third baseman Tate Davis and sophomore shortstop Shae Anderson and a flyout to left field from junior infielder Alyssa Hovermale.
The same could not be said for Tennessee. Back-to-back home runs from sophomore infielder Emma Clarke and junior outfielder Alannah Leach put the Volunteers on top 2-1.
South Carolina was unable to respond for the remainder of the game, being held scoreless with no hits in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
While for Tennessee, Leach hit her second home run of the night, putting the Volunteers ahead 3-1 before the sixth inning ended.
South Carolina captures first win of series
Senior pitcher Jori Heard led South Carolina to earn its first win of the series against Tennessee, 5-1. Tossing a complete seven innings, Heard allowed four hits and one run against the Volunteers Friday night.
Meanwhile, Tennessee’s Pickens returned to the mound to start the game. A recent recipient of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League Golden Ticket, Pickens is the fifth of 17 collegiate players to be selected for the league’s second annual college draft.
The first two innings started off scoreless in a similar manner to the first game of the series. While both teams managed to get runners in scoring position and on base, Heard and Pickens held their ground, as did the infield, with South Carolina leaving one runner on base and Tennessee leaving two.
To start off the third inning, Pickens managed to strike out both Anderson and Hovermale but walked Lilio. Shelton then reached first base due to a throwing error, advancing to second base while Lilio advanced to third.
Afterwards, a single down the right field line from Rodi brought in both runners on base, putting the Gamecocks ahead 2-0.
The fourth inning saw more action from South Carolina as well. A single from Ensley and walks by senior catcher Lexi Winters and redshirt senior infielder Natalie Heath forced the Volunteers to make a pitching change after the bases were loaded.
Sophomore pitcher Erin Nuwer stepped up to the mound and allowed only one South Carolina run after sophomore outfielder Nia McKnight reached on a fielder’s choice, allowing a runner to score and boosting the Gamecocks lead to 3-0.
The fifth inning also saw little action for both teams. It wasn’t until the sixth inning that the Gamecocks were able to score again, this time from a home run by Ensley, her seventh on the season.
The Volunteers also scored their first and only run of the game after managing to put a runner in scoring position.
South Carolina was able to earn one more run during the top of the seventh inning after a double from Shelton allowed redshirt junior pinch runner Lexie Shaver to score at home.
Gamecocks fall 4-2 to mark end of series
During the final game of the series, South Carolina fell to the Volunteers after Tennessee managed to score during back-to-back innings.
South Carolina saw little action during the first two innings. Mardjetko and Pickens handled the pitching duties for Tennessee once again, holding the Gamecocks to four hits on the afternoon.
As for the Gamecocks, Lamb was back out at the pitcher's mound, helping the Gamecocks evade a potential first-inning run after Tennessee put runners in the corners.
However, the Volunteers managed to get ahead of the Gamecocks during the bottom of the second inning. This time, a pitching change was made from Lamb to junior Emma Friedel. A walk and a single put runners in the corners.
Back-to-back bunts allowed a runner to score and move runners to third and second bases. Before the inning ended, Tennessee redshirt sophomore infielder Ella Dodge hit a triple, bringing in another runner. At this point, the Volunteers had a 3-0 lead.
While Heath managed to hit a double to start the third inning, a foul out from Anderson and a double play for the Volunteer defense forced the Gamecocks to put up their bats for gloves.
Meanwhile, Leach hit her third home run of the series to lead off the third inning, increasing the Volunteers' lead to 4-0.
South Carolina was able to score during the fourth inning. Shelton got on base due to a muffed throw, and Rodi managed to hit a double, allowing Shelton to score at home.
Tennessee quickly decided it was time for Pickens to retake the mound, but not before senior catcher Jamie Mackay also hit a double. The Gamecocks managed to close the gap, 4-2.
The rest of the game went by quickly, with neither team scoring again. Pickens held her ground, preventing South Carolina from gaining any momentum. The Gamecocks’ only other hit came from Mackay at the top of the seventh inning before the game came to an end.
What's next?
South Carolina will head back to Beckham Field to take on the Florida Gators in another conference series from April 10-12. The first game will begin at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.