South Carolina hits bump in road after dropping weekend series at Auburn
With the regular season winding down, South Carolina is very much in the mix to be a national seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. But those aspirations took a hit over the weekend.
The No. 14 Gamecocks traveled to Auburn and dropped the series to the Tigers, losing the first two games before winning the finale on Sunday.
South Carolina (36-13, 11-10) still has an opportunity to get back into solidifying a spot as a top-8 seed with No. 13 Alabama in town this weekend, followed by the SEC Tournament next week. Before then, let’s look back at how the series at Auburn went down.
Game One
With a 7-2 lead going into the bottom of the seventh, South Carolina was three outs away from a series-opening win on Friday. But in a stunning twist, Auburn came away with an 8-7 win after scoring six runs to walk it off.
The chaos started with an 88-minute rain delay before the teams played out the final frame. Sam Gress, who had come in out of relief after Jori Heard before the delay, took the circle again once the tarp came off the field. After only giving up one hit through three innings, she only got one out in the seventh and allowed six runs (five earned) and took the loss.
When Gress came out, the Gamecocks still had a one-run lead and were two outs away from a win. But when Nealy Lamb entered the circle, Amelia Lech delivered a two-run walk-off single to lift the Tigers to an improbable victory.
Five Gamecocks recorded multi-hit games, including Emily Vinson, who led the way with three hits on the night. She drove in one run, which came on a solo home run hit in the sixth.
Stay on top of all things Gamecocks for just $1 for 7 days—lock in this special offer today!
Game Two
Auburn built on its newfound momentum from the previous night and rolled to a 7-0 win over South Carolina to clinch a series win on Saturday.
The Gamecocks were one-hit in the loss as SJ Geurin tossed her third complete game of the season. She struck out three and walked one, only needing 88 pitches to go the distance. Emma Sellers recorded the only hit of the day for South Carolina.
Top 10
- 1New
Michigan football
Ex-coaches get show-causes
- 2Hot
Shedeur Sanders
On CFL negotiation list
- 3
Greg McElroy
Polarizing Top 10 QB ranking
- 4Trending
CFB Top 25
Post-spring rankings
- 5
Shaquille O'Neal
Takes CBB GM job
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
In the circle, Lamb got the start and gave up four runs in 1.1 innings of work. Heard pitched most of the game as she went 4.2 innings and allowed three runs on six hits. She struck out four without issuing a walk.
Game Three
The Gamecocks managed to salvage the series with a 4-1 win on Sunday. They got off to a strong start with three runs in the top of the first, all of which came on a three-run blast by Arianna Rodi.
Rodi, who’s had a great first season with the team after transferring from Charlotte, is now up to 14 homers and 45 RBI on the year. This would be her only hit of the day as she went 1-for-4 with three RBI, but it proved to be the difference in the game.
South Carolina added another run in the second on an RBI single off the bat of Karley Shelton. This would be more than enough run support for Gress, who put together a strong bounce-back performance to earn the win.
Gress pitched a complete game, her fourth of the year, and allowed one run on four hits over seven innings. She struck out eight and walked one.
Up next: South Carolina will return to Beckham Field on Tuesday to face Furman. First pitch is at 6 p.m. on SEC Network Plus.
