South Carolina softball drops second game to No. 19 Virginia Tech in Saturday night showdown

A loud pre-game “Let’s Go, Hokies!” chant followed by a “Game-Cocks” chant moments before opening pitch set the stage for the NCAA Tournament feel South Carolina vs Virginia Tech provided on Saturday night.

The Hokies looked to continue their perfect start at the Gamecock Invitational. Meanwhile, host-team South Carolina looked for revenge for its opening night loss to the Hokies.

Entering the bottom of the sixth inning, the Gamecocks found themselves in a similar spot they were in on Thursday. The Hokies had one run less, leading 7-4, but the moment was the same.

As the Hokies changed pitchers, The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” played over the Beckham Field speakers. South Carolina incited a rally, but could only plate one. The Gamecocks stranded three in the sixth.

“We just couldn’t get a timely hit,” head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard said. ” … I felt like we just couldn’t get that clutch hit to really get things going.”

The Gamecocks allowed one more in the seventh, and entered their final three outs needing three runs to tie, four to win, with the bottom of their order up. All three went down with strikeouts as South Carolina fell 8-5 to Virginia Tech for the second time.

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If you needed proof of South Carolina’s need to avenge Thursday night’s loss, look no further than Chastain Woodard’s decision to start Emma Friedel on the mound. Against the Hokies on Thursday, Friedel pitched two innings, allowing five runs and earning the loss in relief of Jori Heard.

While she started in Friday’s run-ruled win over Syracuse, facing the team that knocked her around could have rattled her. However, the Kennesaw State transfer settled in and sat down three of her first four.

Head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard said her start against Syracuse was in large part to help get her confidence up for Saturday night. Heading into the weekend, the second year head coach already planned to start her against the Hokies.

“And I thought she threw really well, until, you know, the big home run,” Chastain Woodard said. “And honestly, like, she could have just beared down and kept getting outs.”

After allowing a two-run home run, Chastain Woodard felt the young pitcher would make the moment too big, turning to her bullpen.

South Carolina’s bats didn’t take long to get going either. Leading off the home side, Quincee Lilio took a fastball up the middle for a base hit. Two outs later, Tate Davis’s double gave the Gamecocks their first run.

On the opening pitch of the second inning, Lexi Winters doubled to the warning track. A Shae Anderson walk later, freshman Kai Byars sent everyone home with her first career home run.

It’s a big hit for a freshman, Chastain Woodard said. She believes Byars will hit a lot for the Gamecocks throughout her career.

While the Gamecocks led 4-0, they knew the Hokies would not go quietly into the night. After going up 4-1 on Thursday night, South Carolina allowed seven runs in the sixth to Virginia Tech, eventually falling 8-4. On Saturday night, South Carolina saw itself falling down the same path. However, this time, it came in the third inning.

After a two-run home run ended Friedel’s night, a solo shot off Nealy Lamb’s first pitch of the night cut it to one. By the end of the side, the Gamecocks trailed 5-4, using its third pitcher of the inning.

“It just wasn’t her night” Chastain Woodard said of Lamb’s peformance. ” … Those guys, they’ll figure it out. We’re going to keep giving them the ball in different situations. They have a lot of talent.”

While South Carolina continued to threaten, the Gamecocks struggled to get runs across the plate. In its 13 attempts heading to the bottom of the fifth, South Carolina only recorded three hits with runners in scoring position.

As the game entered the fifth-inning stretch, South Carolina found itself down 7-4, running out of time and answers. After five innings, the Hokies had four two-out hits. South Carolina found themselves with the bases loaded with two outs in the fifth. However, they stranded all three.

South Carolina’s inability to get the final out of an inning hit a head when, trailing 7-5, they allowed a run after a dropped tag at home plate.

South Carolina leaves Saturday night, not getting the win they wanted. As they return tomorrow, the Gamecocks work towards the wins they need to chase Oklahoma City in 2026.

“I mean, we’re three games into a really long season. So as much as we hate to lose a little perspective about, we’ve got, you know, a lot of time is in front of us,” Chastain Woodard said. “I think I kind of left them with, they’re going to have to figure out how to win together, and clean up some of this stuff we got to get better at. And it’s kind of on them, on how long that takes them to do.”

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