South Carolina softball earns midweek win over Youngstown State in final tune-up before SEC play

South Carolina’s midweek matchup against Youngstown State was expected to be just a tuneup before conference play. Despite facing an early setback, the Gamecocks passed the test with flying colors, picking up a 10-2 win and extending its perfect start to the season Wednesday night at Beckham Field.

“Ideally, would like to start the game a little bit better. But they have so much confidence, and we have so much confidence in what we’re doing offensively, that I don’t feel like it affected them much,” Ashley Chastain Woodard said. “I’m really proud of them.”

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South Carolina (20-0) dug itself into an early hole after the Penguins (2-14) put up a pair of runs in the opening frame.

Olivia Kotowski, making just the second start of her collegiate career, allowed singles to the first three batters she faced before Bree Kohler came to the plate. Kohler hit a bloop single into left field, bringing home Youngstown State’s first run of the game. Two batters later, Elyssa Imler doubled the Penguins’ advantage with an RBI sacrifice fly.

It did not take long for the Gamecocks to regain the lead. Quincee Lilio drew a walk to open the frame, extending her season-long on-base streak in the process. One batter later, Karley Shelton reached base on a fielding error, advancing Lilio to second base.

And then, Arianna Rodi did Arianna Rodi things. The reigning SEC Co-Player of the Week showcased her power with a three-run shot that cleared the left field defense. Rodi’s home run was her ninth of the season and fifth in as many games.

“She’s swinging at strikes. She’s taking balls. Overall, I think she’s just really hunting for something specific. And when she gets it, she’s able to put a good swing on it,” Chastain Woodard said. “I really like where she’s at. I think she’s the best that she’s ever been that I’ve seen her.

South Carolina’s power display did not stop there. Natalie Heath followed Rodi with a nearly identical solo home run to lead off the bottom of the second inning. But the Gamecocks showed they could play some small ball in the same frame. With the bases loaded, Brooke Blankenship drove Lilio home by beating out an infield single to extended South Carolina’s lead to 5-2.

Youngstown State did not go away quickly, though, and put Kotowski in another jam in the top of the third. Both Ayla Ray and Bree Kohler drew walks on a combined nine pitches, only one of which was thrown for a strike. Youngstown State appeared to be in prime position to chip away at the Gamecocks’ lead with two runners on and no outs.

Kotowski would not survive the inning, as Chastain Woodard elected to take Nealy Lamb out of the bullpen and into the game. Lamb made an immediate impact in the circle, striking out the next three batters she faced to end the inning.

Lamb’s outing as a whole lasted two innings. She retired all six batters she faced – three via punchouts, two via groundouts, and one via a flyout.

“It was good to see her throw a couple dominant innings,” Chastain Woodard said. “She had a really great start Friday, game one against Duke. We gave her the ball again to start game three and wasn’t quite as strong. So, I just really wanted to get her back out there and help her feel really good about what she was doing before we head to Norman this weekend.”

South Carolina built on its lead with through aggressive baserunning in the bottom of the third. Shelton hit a single into center field and was eager to turn it into a double. The ball reached the infield sooner than she though, and she stopped dead in her tracks between first and second base. There was no Penguins player defending first, and Shelton slid there safely.

At this point, Knight had already scored from second base. But Lilio used Shelton’s diversion to advance from third to home. Lilio’s instinctive play grew the Gamecocks’ advantage to five runs.

South Carolina’s scoring exploits were still not done. In the fourth inning, the Gamecocks added runs on an RBI double by Lexi Winters, a run-scoring single by Lilio and a sacrifice fly by Shelton.

Kadie Becker emerged from the bullpen to close out the game in the top of the fifth. Like Lamb, Becker retired every batter she faced without suffering any damage.

Next up

South Carolina kicks off conference play this weekend with a three-game series against Oklahoma. The Gamecocks and the Sooners are the only two remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division I softball.

All three games of the series will take place at Love’s Field in Norman, Oklahoma. First pitch for the first game of the series is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Game two will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday, followed by a 2:30 p.m. series finale on Sunday. The entire series will be available for streaming on SEC Network+.

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