South Carolina softball remains undefeated after run-rule victory

South Carolina softball coach Ashley Chastain Woodard and her Gamecock squad remain undefeated. On Tuesday evening, in the team’s first road game of the season, USC knocked off the Charlotte 49ers–Chastain Woodard’s old team–by a score of 10-2. The run-rule effort was Carolina’s 11th of the season, the country’s highest total.

The Gamecocks, who now own a 16-0 record on the season, had to deal with a lively crowd at Sue M. Daughtridge Stadium. By the end of the top of the third inning, though, the 49ers fans in attendance were much quieter. The Gamecock fans in attendance began to be heard as their favorite team extended the lead with a crooked number, gained some confidence, and never looked back.

How It Happened

Reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week Jori Heard was tabbed to own the circle on Tuesday. As one of the very best arms in the country, Heard handled her business with a scoreless outing before Nealy Lamb came on in relief. The pitching stayed excellent as Lamb also pitched shutout ball. Heard returned for the sixth to seal the run-rule victory but lost the shutout in the process.

South Carolina nearly scored its first run of the game in controversial fashion in the second inning. Former Charlotte 49er Abigail Knight smacked a double into the gap in left-center, and another former 49er Lexi Winters–running all the way from first base–slid under the tag at the plate. Despite being called safe on the field, a Charlotte challenge erased the run as Winters’ heel was just off the plate when Charlotte catcher Addison Lund applied the tag. Instead, USC settled for just one run after a fielding error in center allowed Knight to come around to score.

An error, single, and walk put Heard in a jam in the bottom of the second, but two strikeouts and a foul pop-up allowed her escape unscathed.

Back-to-back doubles from Karley Shelton and Arianna Rodi kicked off a big third inning. Ella Chancey followed with a single and steal, and then a Brooke Blankenship sacrifice fly made the score 3-0.

Heard gave way to sophomore Nealy Lamb in the 4th, and the pitching brilliance continued. Following Heard’s scoreless three innings, Lamb delivered two scoreless, hitless stanzas.

In the 5th, the nation’s leaders in doubles struck again. South Carolina leadoff hitter Quincee Lilio snuck one down the third base line before Karley Shelton knocked her second two-bagger of the day to the base of the wall in left. Then, Arianna Rodi took relief pitcher Abby Gawlinski deep to right center to blow the game open. Right fielder London Durks made a diving grab in foul territory, helping to limit the damage to just four runs in the inning.

With a 7-0 lead, Lamb mowed down the 49ers in the bottom of the 5th with two more strikeouts. Because of the quick inning, the South Carolina offense didn’t have a chance to cool down. With one out, the Gamecocks strung together three hits and a trio of walks. As the dust settled with a double-play ball, USC finished the frame leading 10-0.

Heard re-entered the game in place of Lamb to finish the game. She didn’t hold onto the goose egg on the scoreboard but ended the night before Charlotte could overcome the eight-run mercy deficit.

As good as the pitching and offense were, the Gamecock defense didn’t have a great day on Tuesday. Officially, Carolina had just one error, but there were at least three other defensive miscues from the garnet and black. In the end, it wouldn’t matter as South Carolina pitched and hit well enough to cover the mistakes.

The former Charlotte 49ers had a big day in their return to the Queen City. Ella Chancey, Abigail Knight, Lexi Winters, and Adrianna Rodi combined for six hits (four of them for extra bases), five RBI, and three runs scored.

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Three Observations

Gamecock pitching is good, ya Heard?–As expected, South Carolina pitcher Jori Heard had a great start on Tuesday. Even with a bases-loaded jam in the second inning, the Gamecock senior pitched three scoreless frames with four strikeouts. In relief, sophomore Nealy Lamb logged four Ks of her own in just two innings. However, when Heard re-entered the game in the sixth, she lost the shutout, but it wouldn’t matter. In total, the USC duo combined to strike out nine batters in the six-inning mercy-rule win.

Leadoff Lilio–Quincee Lilio extended her on-base streak to 16 games (for those counting at home, that’s every game of the season) with a walk in the first and a double in the fifth, both leading off the inning. She also tallied a full-count single to start a rally in the sixth.

Doubles for Everyone–South Carolina leads the nation in doubles so far this season. Against Charlotte, they added seven to their total. Karley Shelton knocked three of them, Abigail Knight hit two, and Arianna Rodi and Quincee Lilio also added one each.

Two Key Stats

One strikeout–South Carolina’s offense only struck out once. Putting the ball in play proved to be the key to their offensive success on the day. The Gamecocks hit just one home run, but they made consistent contact all game. Charlotte made two errors (and should have been called for at least one more), and USC’s 12 hits netted 10 runs.

Four hits–South Carolina pitching was dominant for five innings on Tuesday evening. Jori Heard and Nealy Lamb combined to toss scoreless ball until the starter re-entered in the sixth. While Heard lost the shutout in the final frame, she and Lamb only gave up four total hits in the contest.

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One Turning Point

At the start of the top of the third, South Carolina only led 1-0. The Gamecocks strung together three hits (including back-to-back doubles from Karley Shelton and Arianna Rodi) and a sacrifice fly to plate a pair of runs. The 3-0 lead (temporarily) quieted an extremely loud crowd and proved to be too much for Charlotte to overcome. The Gamecocks added on more later, but the third inning seemed to provide the team with some offensive momentum.

Up Next

South Carolina will stay on the road for a three-game series against the Duke Blue Devils in Durham. The series opener on Friday will start at 6:00 p.m. Game two is slated for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch on Saturday. Then, the series finale on Sunday will begin at Noon. All three games will be available for streaming on the ACC Network Extra, available on the ESPN app.

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