The South Carolina softball team was back in action on Wednesday for a midweek doubleheader against Furman. The Gamecocks won their first-ever SEC conference game in their last contest against Ole Miss by the final score of 10-1.
Game one
In the first game of the double-header, the Gamecocks took down Furman 9-1 in six innings.
South Carolina controlled the game from the first inning. The Gamecocks scored first after a fielding error by the Paladins. During the same inning, junior catcher Jordan Fabian hit a bomb to centerfield for a three run homer.
Neither team scored a run in the second inning, despite Furman loading the bases. In the third inning, the Gamecocks scored twice. Then in the fourth inning, the team scored again to take a 7-0 lead.
South Carolina held the Paladins scoreless until the final inning of the game. Senior shortstop Amanda Fleming scored the lone run for Furman on a home run to the left side of center field.
Graduate pitcher Cayla Drotar got the win for the Gamecocks making her 3-4 on the year. She pitched all six innings and allowed four hits on 27 batters faced.
Hitting was a huge advantage for South Carolina. It had a total .345 batting average, much better than the Paladins .174. The Gamecocks outhit Furman 10-4. Graduate student Makenzie Boesel led the team with three hits in four at-bats.
An all-around dominant performance gave South Carolina round one with the teams set to play again right after.
Game Two
The second game of the doubleheader was a nailbiter.
The Gamecocks opened the scoring with RBI single from junior infielder Kassidy Krupit.
Furman was unable to get a hit against South Carolina ace Kelsey Oh until the fifth inning when Furman second baseman Natalie Morgan doubled into left center.
Morgan then stole third. After a walk to the Furman Catcher Hannah Suniga. Furman was in scoring position. Immediately following the walk, right fielder Hana Hashioka doubled just over the head of Gamecock left fielder Carlie Henderson to put an end to Kelsey Oh's night.
Oh was surgical up until that point, seeming to be putting away batters at will.
This was the only run allowed by South Carolina's defense who stepped up big when Oh was relived by freshman Leah Powell.
Following a walk to the first batter she faced, Powell was able to slam the door shut, retiring the next three batters without allowing a run. She finished the game allowing one hit, two walks and tallying two strikeouts to earn the win.
South Carolina's bats finally came alive in the sixth inning by another Fabian homerun. This was Fabian's fifth of the year, second of the day and gave the Gamecocks the confidence to open the game up.
A large part of the Gamecocks offense came from the freshmen duo of Aaliyah White and Riley Blampied. The pair went a combined three for six and had key hits in the game-clinching sixth inning.
What's Next?
South Carolina will be back in action Saturday at Beckham Field to open up a three game homestand against Tennessee. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. and can be viewed on SEC Network +.