Late Rally Comes Up Short, Ending USC’s Season

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (USC SID) — South Carolina fought through its last at-bat, getting the tying run to the plate, but No. 13/14 UCF (50-8) finished a 5-2 victory in Saturday‘s second elimination game in the Tallahassee Regional, ending the Gamecocks‘ season. Junior left fielder Alaynie Page beat out an infield single to start the seventh, and after an out, sophomore designated player Victoria Williams was hit. Sophomore first baseman Kaylea Snaer stepped up and stroked a single up the middle, scoring Page to make it 5-2 and bring the tying run to the plate. But UCF pitcher Mackenzie Audas (24-1) got a ground out and a strikeout, the latter in a seven-pitch at-bat, to close the win. South Carolina started the scoring in the third on Snaer‘s RBI single, scoring junior right fielder Ansley Ard after she drew a walk and stole second. The Knights used six singles to answer in the fourth, scoring one on Samantha McCloskey‘s single and two each on singles by Courtney Rotton and Linnea Goodman. Audas went the distance, giving up two earned runs on five hits and five walks in the complete-game win. She struck out five. Gamecock sophomore Nickie Blue (20-9) took the loss, giving up 10 hits, five earned runs and a walk with three strikeouts. Game Changer: The barrage of singles in the fourth gave UCF the lead that they wouldn‘t relinquish. Key Stat: The Gamecocks did not commit an error, a day after the Knights scored three unearned runs in the win. Notables: “¢ Snaer went 2-for-4 with two RBI, while senior catcher Olivia Lawrence went 2-for-3 to tally four of South Carolina‘s five hits. “¢ Ard and junior third baseman Jordan Bizzell both walked twice, while Bizzell and Williams also were hit by pitches. “¢ Knight left fielder Linnea Goodman went 3-for-4 with two RBI, and Farrah Sullivan was 2-for-3 with a run scored. “¢ Kalyn Cenal also had a 2-for-3 day. “¢ South Carolina loses only its third game this year when keeping its foe without an extra-base hit. Two were to UCF in the Tallahassee Regional. “¢ Four Gamecock seniors donned the Garnet and Black for the last time: Lawrence, Sarah Mooney, Julie Sarratt and Kristen Struett. “¢ With a 38-22 record, South Carolina improves its win total for the third straight year, the only SEC team that has done that. Game One Recap: South Carolina Advances with 3-1 Win vs. Dartmouth in Tallahassee Two Gamecock runs in the first proved to be enough behind Julie Sarratt‘s solid start TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Two first-inning runs held up for South Carolina (38-21), as the Gamecocks eliminated Dartmouth (25-18) from the Tallahassee Regional with a 3-1 win on Saturday in the Seminole Softball Complex at JoAnne Graf Field. The Gamecocks scored twice in the first as junior right fielder Ansley Ard took advantage of a Big Green error to score on sophomore offensive player Victoria Williams‘ double. Williams came home on sophomore first baseman Kaylea Snaer‘s single up the middle. The lead grew to 3-0 on Williams‘ RBI single, which scored junior left fielder Alaynie Page after she started the frame with a double over third base. Dartmouth got on the board with three singles in the sixth, the third from Karen Chaw scoring Katie McEachern from third after she started the rally with a one-out hit. Gamecock redshirt senior Julie Sarratt (18-12) controlled the game, scattering five hits and the earned run in the complete-game win. She struck out two and didn‘t walk a batter. Dartmouth‘s Kristen Rumley (15-12) allowed three runs, two earned, on seven hits in the loss. She also didn‘t issue a walk, and she tallied six strikeouts. Game Changer: South Carolina came out focused in the first, taking a lead and not looking back. Key Stat: Williams and Ard both had two hits in the victory, with Williams adding a double. Notables: “¢ Junior left fielder Alaynie Page and freshman Tiara Duffy also added doubles for South Carolina. “¢ Sarratt needed 111 pitches for the complete-game win. “¢ The Gamecocks are now 15-0 all-time against Ivy League schools, getting their first win over Dartmouth. “¢ McEachern went 2-for-4 for the Big Green, two of the five Dartmouth hits.