Gamecocks’ season ends in Supers, swept by ASU

TEMPE, Ariz. (WOLO) – Arizona State broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the fifth inning, scoring four runs and sealing a 12th trip to the Women’s College World Series, while keeping Carolina from their fifth.

The Sun Devils swept the Gamecocks in the Tempe Super Regional, defeating Beverly Smith’s team 5-2 Saturday night. ASU won by the same margin in Friday night’s NCAA Tournament series opener.

South Carolina was able to win three games in a row while facing elimination on their way to claiming the Columbia Regional, but fell short of the task on the other side of the country against a Sun Devils squad that only allowed four runs on 10 hits over fourteen innings.

Alternating into the home team role, USC tied the game at one run a piece in the fourth after Jana Johns made it to third from a throwing error on her infield single. She scored on Alyssa Kumiyama’s RBI single to even the scoreboard up. Tiarra Duffy’s RBI double in the sixth scored Johns for the only other run of the game for the garnet and black. ASU starting pitcher Breanna Macha went all seven innings, only allowing one earned run while striking out six.

Cayla Drotar was pulled after four innings of work, unable to record an out in Arizona State’s big fourth inning, highlighted by DeNae Chatman’s three-RBI, bases-clearing double. Kelsey Oh threw two scoreless innings of relief, giving up no hits.

Carolina’s special season ends at 49-17, winning 15 more games than they did a year ago. The mark is 11 wins better than Smith’s best previous record in her first seven seasons.

USC had not previously made a Super Regional since 2007. They’ve yet to return to the Women’s College World Series since 1997.