COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Presbyterian College softball team was bested by a South Carolina antagonist that was firing on all cylinders Tuesday night, ending the eighth all-time meeting with a 9-1 final decision that favored the Gamecocks. PC's overall record now stands at 17-6 in what was the 15
th matchup against a Southeastern Conference opponent in program history.
NOTABLES
- Senior shortstop
Layna Johnson brought in her fifth RBI of the campaign in the top of the 3
rd inning during the two sides' first encounter since 2017, scoring third baseman
Ciara Hanson who previously reached on a sharply-hit infield ball two plays earlier.
-
Jenna Greene and
Morgan Hess split time in the circle against a nonconference foe that has already eclipsed 20 wins thanks to separate streaks of 14 and seven straight victories. In the end, Greene was given the loss after the Gamecocks produced six runs in the game's first two frames.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- USC's Jordan Fabian accounted for just the third home run allowed by the Blue Hose all season in their 23
rd outing, putting the home side in front by one after the first chapter. The Gamecocks remained aggressive in the next stanza, translating to a four-hit sequence that pushed the deficit to six.
- Johnson's run-scoring double in the 3
rd gave Presbyterian some breathing room, although the South Carolina pitching tandem of Leah Powell and Jori Heard were able to keep PC off the board the rest of the way. The latter was granted the win after three full innings of work, facing 12 batters.
- An RBI base hit in the bottom of the 4
th brought the advantage back to where it originated earlier, while the Gamecocks ended the contest in the 6
th on consecutive sacrifice flies. The result increased USC's record to 14-3 when competing in Columbia.
NEXT UP
- A four-game tournament hosted by East Carolina will represent the final nonconference sequence of the semester for the Blue Hose until Big South play commences the following weekend, participating in a pair of games this Saturday and Sunday in Greenville.
- Presbyterian will look to make it 3-0 all-time against Cleveland State at 10:00 a.m. on the 18
th, segueing into a 12:30 matchup against Ohio State immediately thereafter. A second date with CSU on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. sets the stage for PC to wrap up the tourney against the hosting Pirates at approximately 2:00.
