Fifth inning homers, new record help No. 21 South Carolina softball remain undefeated
South Carolina stayed undefeated with an 11-3 run-rule victory over the visiting North Carolina Tar Heels on Tuesday night.
The Gamecocks, now 11-0 on the season, trailed until late in the fifth inning. Arianna Rodi and fellow junior Lexi Winters both hit two-run homers to spark the comeback.
“I just think no matter how another team does, or whatever could happen on our side of the ball, that we just have this constant feeling of belief. It kind of just circulates through the whole team, through the whole lineup, playing, not playing, any of our extra staff in the dugout. It’s just the sense of belief that we have that it’s going to happen at some point,” Winter said. “So I think just continuing to trust it, and just feeding off of the person in front of me just really helped me in that.”
South Carolina never looked back, eventually triggering the run rule and ending the game with six straight bases-loaded walks. The Gamecocks’ total walks drawn in the game – 12 – is a new program record.
North Carolina struck first in the opening frame, putting up three runs on a pair of hits.
The Tar Heels also started well defensively, with centerfielder Sanaa Thompson robbing Brooke Blankenship of a big hit in the bottom of the fourth.
After the home runs by Rodi and Winters, redshirt junior Natalie Heath doubled in the sixth. From there, UNC lost command of the strike zone.
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Sophomore Kadie Becker started the night on the mound for South Carolina but struggled to find the strike zone. She faced just four batters, allowing two walks, two hits, and three earned runs before being replaced by Jori Heard.
Heard entered the game and struck out the first batter she faced. All told, she recorded four strikeouts, allowing just two hits and no runs.
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“She has high velocity, she’s throwing really well,” head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard said. “She produces a lot of outs, swing and miss, just herself. We do have a lot of confidence in her and so just coming into the dugout I just kind of felt like ‘yeah, we’ve got this”
11 batters grounded out against South Carolina’s defense with Heard on the mound.
For the Tar Heels, junior right-handed pitcher Kenna Raye Dark started on the mound and was able to silence USC’s bats until the fifth. Despite not recording any strikeouts, Dark held the Gamecocks to just six hits in 22 batters faced.
Dark was responsible for four of South Carolina’s runs earned in the fifth inning. Her replacement, sophomore left hander Nikki Harris, couldn’t seal the deal for North Carolina.
Harris pitched just one inning, allowing three walks and two runs in eight batters faced. Right-hander Janelle Wilson came on in relief, and freshman Lilly Parrish finished the game on the mound for UNC, giving up the bases-loaded walks that ended the contest.
Up next: The Gamecocks will host Boston University in Game one of the Garnet and Black Invitation Friday Feb 21. The matchup will be available to watch on SECN+ with first pitch is set for 5:00p.m.
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