South Carolina softball's bats go cold in loss to Clemson
South Carolina softball suffered a 7-0 defeat against Clemson in Columbia on Tuesday night, as the Gamecocks’ bats failed to heat up and a late Tiger surge sealed the victory.
Clemson, which entered the game ranked 17th nationally, started the game off on a strong foot as freshman Julia Knowler sent a ball over the wall for a solor homer the second inning. Shortly after, Aby Vieira responded with an RBI double, advancing the Tigers to a 2-0 lead.
Freshman Sage Mardjetko started on the mound for South Carolina but only faced seven batters. In 1.1 innings pitched, Mardjetko gave up three hits and two earned runs before being replaced by Jori Heard in the circle.
Clemson’s Maddie Moore then hit one out of the park in the top of the third off Heard, who pitched 0.2 innings, giving up one run and one hit with one strikeout.
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With two Tigers in scoring position, Gamecocks star Alana Vawter came in and got a stop. As a powerhouse for South Carolina this season, Vawter was able to slow Clemson’s offense until the seventh inning.
Vawter’s first run given up came from an overturned call at home plate due to obstruction by the catcher. In five innings pitched, Vawter gave up five hits and three runs, two of which were earned.
“She’s a seasoned veteran, she does such a great job hitting spots, she does a great job with her maturity and leading the team and our young pitching staff. She’s been a real joy to coach,” head coach Bev Smith said after the game.
As a team, the Gamecocks recorded just five hits and struck out 8 times. Freshman Reagan Spencer was able to stop the Gamecock’s offense on the mound for the Tigers.
She pitched 4.1 innings, giving up five runs with four strikeouts.
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Designated player Aniyah Black attempted to get some momentum moving for South Carolina in the bottom of the fourth, doubling off the center field wall, but she was stranded.
The Gamecocks had another opportunity to get the ball rolling the next inning after a Denver Bryant double. Once again, the team was unable to capitalize on the momentum. USC left six runners on base during the game.
“I thought we had some good at-bats early in the game, some loud outs,” Smith said. “Obviously the most important stat in softball is runs scored so we weren’t able to get that timely hit when we had runners in scoring position. I think we could have been right back in the game had we been able to do that.”
Bryant led the Gamecocks in hits with two on the night including a double.
“I see her on an incline right now,” Smith said. “She’s had really gritty at-bats, she can hit for power, she can drop a bunt. She’s in the lead off spot so when she gets going, we get going.”
Clemson pitcher Millie Thompson was able to finish the job on the mound, and the Tigers tacked on three more runs in the seventh.
Up Next: The Gamecocks will host the Arkansas Razorbacks (28-10, 7-5 SEC) with the first game on Friday starting at 7 P.M. The game will be available to watch on the SEC network.
