The Presbyterian College softball team used a four-run first inning, thanks to a three-run home run by Erin Taylor, to carry a 5-4 lead into the fifth inning, but could not rebound from a South Carolina five-run fifth, to fall to the Gamecocks, 9-6, in its first game of the Gamecock Invitational being held Feb. 13-14, in Columbia, S.C. PC dropped an 8-0, five inning contest to College of Charleston in the nightcap.
PC falls to 2-3 on the year, while SC improves to 6-2, and CofC, 4-1. The Blue Hose take Appalachian State at 10:00 a.m., Saturday to round out tournament play.
South Carolina 9, PC 6
After South Carolina took the early 1-0 lead in the top of the first, PC responded with four in the bottom of the frame, thanks to singles by Erin Ruff, Shelby Petik and Kersten Legacki to set up the three-run home run by Taylor.
SC posted a run in the top of the third, but it was Legacki in the bottom of the inning with her third home run of the season to make it a 5-2 game.
The Gamecocks began their rally in the top of the fourth with a two-run home run by Alaynie Page to cut the deficit to one, 5-4.
After a 1-2-3 bottom of the fourth, South Carolina opened the fourth with the first four of five batters collecting singles resulting in two runs plating to give the Gamecocks their first lead of the game, 6-5. Page came through again, this time with a three-run home run, to give SC a 9-5 lead.
Taylor hit a double in the sixth inning to put herself in scoring position, before coming home off a Jordan Ashley ground out to second. That would be the final run for both teams as the Gamecocks came away with the come-from-behind, 9-6 win.
Both teams recorded 10 hits apiece with PC posting one more error, 2-1. Page went three-for-four with five RBI to lead the Gamecocks, while Jill McLean, Ruff, Legacki and Taylor pacing PC with two hits each.
Nickie Blue (4-0) earned the win for SC, coming in relief and throwing four innings and giving up just one run off four hits. Natasha Sherrod pitched in relief for 3.1 innings and picked up the loss to move to 1-1 on the year. She gave up six runs off six hits.
College of Charleston 8, PC 0 (5)
CofC opened the second game with a solo shot by Rebecca Mueller to make it 1-0 after the first inning. Mueller added two more runs off a RBI single in the third, with Katie Padilla giving the Cougars a 4-0 lead off a RBI single.
Mackenzie Maples put CofC up 6-0 in the fourth with a two-RBI triple to right center, with RBI singles by Mueller and Carly Hansis made it an 8-0 contest.
PC threatened in the top of the fifth after putting runners on the corners with one out, but couldn't put a runner across the plate as the Blue Hose succumbed to the Cougars, 8-0, in the run-rule shortened game.
CofC finished with 10 hits and one error, while PC recorded four hits and had two errors.
Mueller led SC with a three-for-three effort with four RBI, while Maples and Hansis added two hits apiece. Hope Klicker threw all five innings and moved to 2-1 with the four-hit shutout.
Jill McLean led PC with two hits, with Rogers and Jenna Harris each collecting one hit apiece. Kensley Loudermelk moved to 1-2 on the year after giving up seven runs off eight hits.
