The No. 13 South Carolina softball team lost two of three games over the weekend on the road at Auburn.
South Carolina (36-13, 11-10 SEC) fell to Auburn (30-21, 6-18 SEC) in the first two games of the series but salvaged Sunday's game to remain above .500 in SEC play.
Here's a recap of the games:
Tigers storm back to beat Gamecocks in series opener
The Auburn Tigers scored six runs in the seventh inning to take the series opener in walk off fashion, defeating the Gamecocks 8-7 on April 25.
South Carolina opened the scoring in the top of the first inning after it loaded the bases with one out. The Gamecocks brought in two runs thanks to an RBI single by junior catcher Lexi Winters and a sacrifice flyout by senior infielder Brooke Blankenship.
The Gamecocks extended its lead to 4-0 the following inning after sophomore infielder Karley Shleton ripped a two-RBI single. The Tigers responded with two runs of its own in the bottom half of the second inning, cutting its deficit in half.
The third, fourth and fifth innings were scoreless. Junior pitcher Jori Heard started the first three innings of the game for the Gamecocks while sixth-year pitcher Sam Gress came in in relief.
The Gamecocks extended its lead to 7-2 during the sixth and seventh innings.
Senior outfielder Emily Vinson hit her second home run of the season in a solo effort during the sixth, while sixth-year outfielder Abigail Knight hit in two runs with a single in the seventh. Vinson also recorded a team-high three hits in the series opener.
Then after a weather delay stalled the game for nearly 90 minutes, the Auburn Tigers chipped back to win the game by scoring six runs in the final inning.
After retiring the first seven batters she faced in this game, the Tigers got to Gress in the seventh after loading up the bases with zero outs. The Tigers rallied this inning by recording four hits and three walks en route to the walk off victory.
Auburn’s senior infielder Amelia Lech was the hero in this one, giving the Tigers the victory after her single brought in two runs to complete the comeback.
South Carolina outhit the Auburn 13 to 10 hits in game one.
Gamecocks shut out on Saturday, drop series
Auburn took a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Senior utility player Icess Tresvik scored on a passed ball by sophomore pitcher Nealy Lamb. Graduate outfielder KK McCrary singled, scoring a run. Senior infielder Anna Wohlers later hit an RBI-groundout.
Lamb started for South Carolina in game two, but saw just four batters in her first stint. Heard pitched for the majority of the game for the Gamecocks, giving up three runs on six hits in 4.2 innings.
The Tigers added a run in the fifth when senior infielder Nelia Peralta singled, then freshman utility player AnnaLea Adams hit an RBI-double.
Redshirt sophomore pitcher SJ Geurin limited South Carolina to one hit over seven innings. Geurin also struck out three and walked one. The Gamecocks' first hit came in the sixth when senior utility player Emma Sellers singled.
Auburn's lead grew to seven in the bottom of the sixth. McCrary opened the inning with a single, and later scored after Wohlers tripled.
Senior catcher Aubrie Lisenby singled, scoring another run. Sophomore outfielder Georgia Lessmann later scored on a wild pitch, giving the Tigers a 7-0 lead.
Gamecocks bounce back in series finale
The No. 13 South Carolina Gamecocks took down the Auburn Tigers 4-1 on Sunday to clinch a win, preventing a sweep in the three-game series.
At the top of the first inning the Gamecocks secured a 3-0 lead that separated them from Auburn for the rest of the game.
After her first attempt at the bat ended in a strikeout, junior infielder Adrianna Rodi stepped back up to the plate and hit a three-run homer to left field to score both Shelton and redshirt junior utility player Quincee Lilio.
The Tigers were unable to score in the first two innings, and the Gamecocks added another run to take a 4-0 lead over the Tigers. With two outs on the line, Vinson hit a line-drive RBI single to extend the lead.
After a scoreless third inning on both sides, McCrary of the Auburn Tigers hit a single to center field, allowing for senior infielder Nelia Peralta to touch home and score the only run of the game for the Tigers.
Tigers senior pitcher Haley Rainey and Geurin pitched well after the Tigers gave up four runs in the first two innings, and prevented the Gamecocks from scoring again for the remainder of the game.
South Carolina’s defense played a huge role in its win over the Tigers. Led by Gress, the Gamecocks were able to hold back the Tigers and only allow for a single run to be scored.
Gress played a full game, where she also only allowed for four hits while tallying up eight strikeouts across the seven innings.
What’s next?
South Carolina (36-13, 11-10 SEC) returns home on Tuesday to face Furman (15-33, 5-13 Southern). First pitch is set for 6 p.m., and the game will be streamed on SEC Network+.