COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina softball team (44-15) opened the Columbia Super Regionals with a 9-2 win over UCLA (52-11) Friday afternoon (May 23) at Carolina Softball Stadium. The Gamecocks scored five runs in the first two innings with seven of their nine runs coming with two outs.
Quincee Lilio drew a lead-off walk in the first before the Gamecocks found themselves with two outs. Lexi Winters stepped up and sent her sixth home run over the wall in center to give Carolina the early 2-0 lead. Ella Chancey reached after being hit by a pitch and stole second. Brooke Blankenship doubled down the left field to score Chancey and put the Gamecocks up by three.
In the second, Karley Shelton and Lilio were on second and third for Arianna Rodi who drove a single through the gap to score both runners for a 5-0 Gamecock advantage.
Jori Heard, the starter for the Gamecocks, kept the Bruins scoreless through three, striking out three in 3 2-3 innings of work. A four-hit top of the fourth for UCLA, however, gave the Bruins two runs to bring the game within three.
Sam Gress (14-9) entered the circle in the fourth for Heard, surrendering no runs and four hits for the remainder of the game. Gress’ two strikeouts in the fifth was the first time UCLA’s Jordan Woolery and Megan Grant had been struck out back-to-back this season.
Carolina added a pair insurance runs in the fifth after an Abigail Knight double scored Blankenship and Chancey for a 7-2 Gamecock lead.
In the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded, Winters singled to left to score Emily Vinson. Chancey knocked in one more on a sacrifice fly to tie the program record for sac flies for the season. The 26 sacrifice flies ties the record from 1995. The two runs plated in the sixth gave the Gamecocks a 9-2 lead, before Gress shut down UCLA in the seventh to secure the win.
Winters led the offense going 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Rodi finished with two hits and two RBIs. Blankenship and Shelton also finished with a pair of hits, while Knight drove in a pair of runs. South Carolina had 11 hits on the day.
The Gamecocks look to punch their ticket to Oklahoma City for the first time since 1997 with a win over UCLA tomorrow. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m. on ESPN.
For the latest on South Carolina Softball, visit GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team’s social media accounts on Twitter @GamecockSoftbll, Facebook /GamecockSoftball, and Instagram @GamecockSoftball.
