Softball takes two games from Rebels
Gamecocks win first
two, Compton upset
after 5-4 loss Sunday
TomBenning
STAFF WRITER
In a season of
disappointing outcomes, the
USC softball team suffered
another frustrating result
on Sunday, losing 5-4 to
Ole Miss.
Despite winning the
three-game series against
the Rebels (17-33, 4-19
SEC), USC head coach
Joyce Compton was visibly
upset with her team’s
performance.
“It was a ridiculous
performance on our part,”
she said. “We don’t execute.
We make mistakes — all
mental. You can’t have that
happen.”
The Gamecocks (26-26,
6-17) were up 4-3 going
into the seventh inning, but
after throwing 100 pitches,
USC pitcher Christie
Hamilton could not hold
off the Rebel charge. Ole
Miss right fielder Mary Jane
Callahan and third baseman
Rebecca Mclntire led off
the seventh with back-to
back singles.
A sacrifice bunt moved
the runners over, and
Ole Miss second baseman
Lauren Row knocked them
home with a double to left
center field. After stopping
the bleeding with two
quick outs, Carolina could
not muster a comeback in
the final half-inning. USC
center fielder Lisa Longo
offered her thoughts on the
loss.
“We didn’t do the little
things right, and that was
the outcome,” she said. “We
just have to look to the next
game ahd put it all together
so we can win some big
games.”
After going down 1-0
early in the game, USC tied
it in the second inning and
took the lead with a huge
third inning. Shortstop
McKenna Hughes got to
second on an error, and
third baseman Chrissy
Schoonmaker followed with
a single. After Hamilton
struck out, Longo cleared
Juan Bias / THE GAMECOCK
USC first baseman Jacqueline Wetherbee fields an out
during the Gamecocks' win against Ole Miss on Friday.
USC took two of three from the Rebels, losing Sunday.
the bases with a 2-RBI
single to give Carolina a 3
1 lead.
The teams battled back
and-forth over the next two
innings until the Gamecocks
had a chance to extend their
4-3 lead in the sixth inning.
Left fielder Margaret Person
led off the inning with a
single, and it appeared that
she was knocked home by
a double from right fielder
Jessica Josker.
However, the umpires
ruled the play dead
and called Person out
because she left first
base prematurely. Josker
eventually flied out to left
field, and the Gamecocks
did not threaten for the rest
of the game.
Lost in the performance
was a monster game from
Longo. After going 0-for-6
in the first two games of the
series, the sophomore went
3-for-4 with one run and
two RBI’s.
“I just relaxed in there,”
she said. “I took what I did
yesterday, and I changed it
a little bit.”
Carolina started off the
series with two much-needed
victories. Coming into the
weekend USC had lost five
straight games and 13 of
the last 15. The first half
of Saturday’s doubleheader
was a thrilling 10-inning 3
2 win, ending with second
baseman Ashton Payne
hitting an RBI single to
bring in pinch runner Darcy
Norem. In the second game
of the day, Carolina cruised
to a 2-0 victory behind the
flawless pitching of Kate
Pouliot.
The Gamecocks currently
sit in the eighth and final
spot to get into the SEC
tournament, but after
Sunday’s loss, Mississippi
State and Ole Miss are only
two games behind. With six
games left in the season,
including a series against
nationally-ranked Florida,
Longo believes Carolina
just needs to get back to the
basics.
“Everyone has to do (her)
job,” she said. “If someone
gets on, someone has to
bump them over. We have
to do the little things right.
Hopefully, we will come out
on top.”
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports @gwm. sc. edu
BASEBALL • CQATIAUED PROIAII
pitcher Wynn Pelzer, to
give Kentucky the 10-9
victory.
Saturday looked to
be a different story in
the beginning, but the
end result was the same.
Carolina had a 12-6 lead,
in large thanks to four-run
innings in the tops of the
fifth and seventh, until the
Wildcats tied it up in the
bottom of the seventh.
USC’s Smoak had three
RBI, while Campbell,
Willard and Reese Havens
added an RBI each to give
USC a substantial lead.
Then, shortly after the
seventh inning stretch,
Kentucky awoke and
knocked around Gamecock
relievers Chase Tucker and
Andrew Cruse for six runs.
A series of singles by
Justin Scutchfield, Antone
Dejesus, Collin Cowgill
and Michael Bertram,
combined with a pair of
hit batsmen by Tucker,
combined for a total of six
Kentucky runs to tie the
game.
Kentucky would put the
game away in the bottom
of the eighth, when Ryan
Strieby took advantage of
runners on base when he
launched a three-run homer
off of Cruse, allowing
Kentucky to win 15-12.
Carolina committed a
total of four errors in the
game, including a crucial
dropped ball by Cruse
that enabled Cowgill to
reach base before Strieby’s
homer.
After having already lost
the series, Carolina hoped
to salvage a win on Sunday,
but Kentucky simply would
not allow it. Again, USC
took a heavy early lead
scoring three runs in the
third and three more in the
fourth for a 6-0 lead. Drew
Martin had two RBI in the
two innings.
Kentucky decided to
ruin Carolina’s afternoon,
as Strieby and Shelby both
hit homers in the bottom
of the fourth. Strieby sent
a solo shot while Shelby
took advantage of a walk to
Bertram when he blasted a
two-run shot off Carolina
starter Harris Honeycutt.
Honeycutt then left the
game with a blister on his
finger, opening the door i
for reliever Kyle Brown to "
win the game.
Kentucky scored two
more runs in the bottom
of the fifth before Shaun
Lehman knocked a three
run homer to give the
Cats an 8-6 lead. Kentucky
followed that with four
more runs in the bottom
of the fifth, knocking in a
RBI off Carolina pitcher
Brandon Todd.
USC would try to rally,
scoring one run in the sixth
and two in the eighth, as
Crisp notched a two-run I
homer. Kentucky’s lead
proved to be too much,
though, as the Cats won
the game 12-9.
The sweep marks the
first time all season that
Carolina has been swept
by an opponent. Their
next SEC matchup will be
against Mississippi State in
Columbia.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu
BROom • conunuED FRom ii
make sure that the animals
can’t smell them. The fact
that I have to make a rule
that says you cannot cover
yourself in synthetic deer
urine speaks volumes about
hunters.
Third, no traps or baits
allowed. People do all kinds
of ridiculous things to make
animals come to them. You
don’t see animals sprinkling
cheeseburger crumbs in
the middle of a Hooters
parking lot to make strong
nosed fat guys wander over
in amazement, so why is it
fair to put deer cocaine in
the middle of a field?
Finally, no weapons
allowed. Until we start
arming the animals, it just
isn’t fair. If you want to kill
animals, that is fine. I have
absolutely no problem with
that. I’m not some tree
hugging animal lover. In
fact, I stopped swerving
to avoid squirrels years
ago. But at least make it
interesting — use your bare
hands.
This rule is effective
across the board. For
smaller animals, like
raccoons or rabbits, it
would be easy to kill them
with your hands, but very
difficult to catch them in
the first place. (Personally,
I’d punch a raccoon in the
face. They keep hiding in
our dumpster. They are
begging for it.) For larger
animals that would be
easier to catch, like bears or
rhinos, it would be harder
to kill them with your bare
hands. Plus, if you kill a
rhino with your bare hands,
I’ll be your boy for life.
After hunters abide by
those simple changes, I’ll
not only stop making fun
of hunting, but I’ll start
watching it on television.
I’ll consider hunting a sport *
when the animals know
they are participating and
the humans have something
to lose.
irt J==f
tk
$ 1 Coronas
"Go Cocks!!!" -Pan (Class of '95) l
Come See Us May 6th at the
Rosewood Crawfish Festival!
. /
for more information, check out
www.rosewoodcrawfishfestival.com
2800-C Rosewood * Columbia, SC
If you are under 21, it is against the law to buy alcoholic beverages. All A0C regulations enforced. ;
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