South Carolina softball remains undefeated, makes history at Garnet & Black Invitational

South Carolina’s scorching hot start to the 2025 season has reached historic heights.

In their first year under new head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard, the Gamecocks are in the midst of their best stretch of games to begin a campaign in the program’s NCAA era. Through their first three weeks of regular season play, they boast a perfect 15-0 record.

South Carolina continued its recent dominance at the Garnet & Black Invitational, where it picked up four more victories this past weekend. Here’s how the Gamecocks fared in each of those contests.

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Game one versus Boston

South Carolina faced its toughest competition of the season in Boston, a team that D1Softball ranked as a top-25 team in its preseason rankings, on Friday. The Gamecocks dispatched the Terriers with ease, extending its streak of run-rule victories with a 9-1 win.

Despite the home team’s run of recent form, Boston drew first blood in the third inning. Sam Gress had not allowed a hit up to that point, but Brooke Deppiesse launched one of her pitches over the left-field fence for a solo home run.

It would not be much longer before South Carolina regained control of the lead, though. The Gamecocks, as they have throughout the campaign, demonstrated how they can score runs in bunches by plating five in the bottom of the fourth inning. Three of those runs came on a two-out double by Ella Chancey.

South Carolina carried that offensive momentum into the following frame, where it ultimately put the game away. The Gamecocks had already scored one run in the inning when Quincee Lilio came to the plate with the bases loaded. Like Chancey, Lilio roped a bases-clearing double, building South Carolina’s advantage to eight runs.

Game two versus Boston

The Gamecocks kicked off their second day of Garnet & Black Invitational action with a rematch against the Terriers. Although the final score (8-0) was slightly different, the outcome was the same – another run-rule victory for South Carolina.

Heading into Saturday’s opener, Jori Heard had given up just one earned run across 28 innings pitched. Heard continued her dominant start to the season by allowing two hits across six scoreless frames, which helped her claim her sixth win of 2025.

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The Gamecocks’ offense did not need to do much, given how well Heard has performed in the circle to start the campaign. But South Carolina remained dangerous in the batter’s box, as it mustered 10 hits in the contest.

The Gamecocks tacked on two runs in the first inning – one on an RBI double by Karley Shelton, and another when she stole home later in the frame. The team’s bats remained relatively quiet until the sixth, where it capped off a six-run inning with a two-run double off the bat of Abigail Knight.

Game three versus Fordham

South Carolina took on a new opponent, Fordham, in the nightcap of its doubleheader on Saturday. But there was one notable similarity between both contests the Gamecocks played on Saturday – a big sixth inning catapulted the team to yet another run-rule victory, this time by a 9-1 score.

Despite South Carolina’s offensive prowess, its batters had yet to hit a round-tripper over the course of its weekend tournament. The team’s 11-inning home run drought came to a close in the opening frame, when Arianna Rodi hit an 0-1 pitch over the left-field fence.

The Rams tied the game in the top of the fifth inning on a double by Sydney Wells, but the Gamecocks reestablished their advantage on a two-run single by Lilio. South Carolina then went on to score six runs in the bottom of the sixth, culminating in a two-run double by Brooke Blankenship.

The Gamecocks also saw positive contributions in the circle from Nealy Lamb and Gress, who limited Fordham’s batters to a combined five hits. Lamb pitched four innings of three-hit ball, striking out six batters in the process, and Gress closed out the game after allowing one run across two innings.

With the victory, South Carolina won its ninth consecutive game via the NCAA’s run rule, the longest such streak in college softball this season.

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Game four versus UNLV

That streak did not carry into the Gamecocks’ Garnet & Black Invitational finale – they played a full seven-inning game for the first time since Feb. 9. South Carolina did end up in the win column, though, as it picked up a 9-4 victory over UNLV.

The Gamecocks got into trouble early, allowing four runs to score in the top of the first inning. Kadie Becker, who started in the circle for South Carolina, exited the contest without recording an out.

Those four runs served as the only offensive damage the Rebels would muster for the rest of the game. After Becker’s outing came to a close, Gress and Heard limited UNLV to three total hits over seven innings.

The Gamecocks gradually chipped at the Rebels’ lead as the game went along. A sacrifice fly by Chancey plated one run in the first; in the third, South Carolina made it a 4-3 game after Blankenship drew a bases-loaded walk and Lexi Winters drove in a run on a fielder’s choice.

The Gamecocks tied the game with an RBI double by Chancey in the fifth before sealing the deal with a five-run sixth inning. Lilio and Chancey drove in two runs apiece in the frame, while Emma Sellers contributed another.

Next up

South Carolina’s next matchup will be a homecoming for Chastain Woodard and the contingent of players who reunited with their former head coach in Columbia this past offseason. The Gamecocks will take on UNC Charlotte in a midweek contest, with first pitch set for 5 p.m. on Tuesday. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

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