Gamecocks extend nine-game winning streak on day one in Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. –No. 24 South Carolina softball extended its season-high winning streak to nine games with a pair of wins over Louisville and Bradley to open the D9 Citrus Classic on Friday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Carolina started the day with a 5-3 win over the Cardinals before closing the day with an 8-0 victory against the Braves.

Between the two games, Alyssa VanDerveer shined at the plate with an .800 batting average on four hits with two RBI. Kenzi Maguire also shined going 3-for-4 with two RBI. Kamryn Watts was right up there going 3-for-6 between the two games.

Cayla Drotar and Kelsey Oh earned the victories in the circle while Dixie Raley picked up a save on the day between the two victories.

“I’m pleased to have two wins,” head coach Beverly Smith said. “We don’t think too much about streaks. We just think about the game that is in front of us. I thought Kenzi Maguire was a sparkplug today. She had an outstanding day at the plate.”

Louisville Recap —

The Gamecocks started the day with a 5-3 win over Louisville. Kenzi Maguire led the Gamecock scoring effort with a 2-for-3 day coupled with two RBI.

Carolina got on the board first as the visitors in the top of the second as Maguire drove home two runs with an RBI double.

The Cardinals scored one in the bottom of the fourth to cut the Gamecock lead to 2-1 before the Gamecocks answered in the fifth thanks to Jana Johns platting a run to extend the lead to 3-1.

Louisville responded again in the bottom frame before Alyssa VanDerveer answered right back with a solo home run in the sixth to give the Gamecocks a 4-2 lead after six.

Both teams traded one more run respectively as the Gamecocks went on to the victory.

Bradley Recap —

The Gamecocks blitzed the Bradley Braves from the start, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first to jump out to a quick 3-0 lead.

Five more Carolina runs in the second inning quickly put the game out of reach for the Braves as the Gamecocks extended their lead to 8-0.

Freshman Kelsey Oh earned her third victory of the season in five innings of work. She allowed just two hits while striking out five.