Aniyah Black's grand slam helps South Carolina beat Utah to avoid elimination
On the brink of elimination, South Carolina softball got early run support to beat Utah 5-1 in the Durham Regional on Sunday. Aniyah Black’s first-inning grand slam over the left field wall proved to be the difference.
After giving up four runs in the first inning, Utah’s Sarah Ladd was replaced by Mariah Lopez on the mound. Lopez pitched six innings giving up just one run with one hit and six strikeouts.
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Jori Heard got the game started on the mound for the Gamecocks. During her performance, Heard pitched four innings giving up just four hits and no runs.
Following Heard, Alana Vawter shut the door on a Gamecock win. Showing off her veteran arm, Vawter pitched 2.1 innings giving up just one earned run and one hit. Combined, Vawter and Heard were able to quiet Utah’s bats giving up just one run with five hits.
Both team’s pitchers, especially South Carolina’s, struggled to find the small strike zone implied by the umpire. As a result, South Carolina didn’t record a single strikeout while Utah had six. But it didn’t really matter as the Gamecock defense made some big plays.
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Marissa Gonzalez has continued to be a defensive weapon for South Carolina. In the field, Gonzalez saved the Gamecocks from multiple Utah hits with diving catches.
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Utah showed a spark of life late in the sixth with an RBI by Sophie Jacquez. The Utes final push to that the lead was unsuccessful as South Carolina secured the victory.
Late in the seventh, a fielding error at second base extended South Carolina’s lead to four runs.
Up next: South Carolina will face the Duke Blue Devils with a trip to the Super Regionals on the line. The Gamecocks must beat Duke twice to advance. First pitch is at 3:53 p.m.
