South Carolina softball swept by Texas to open up conference play

No. 23 South Carolina softball opened SEC play this weekend and got swept by No. 3 Texas at home. The Gamecocks were outscored 12-4 over the course of the series and only tallied 16 total hits. 

“We’re not putting together enough offense when the game is tight and there’s more pressure in the game,” head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard said. “We need to figure that out, but I believe we will. We’ve got a lot of games left to play.” 

Here’s a recap of the weekend’s games. 

Game 1

Conference play kicked off with a 4-2 loss for the Gamecocks, highlighted by six runners left on base. 

Nealy Lamb got the start in the circle, allowing two runs on three hits in 2.1 innings of work. Jori Heard pitched the other 4.2 innings, allowing the other two runs on two hits. 

Texas jumped on the board in the top of the first after Lamb surrendered a bases-loaded walk with two outs. In the bottom of the second, the Gamecocks tied it up with a bases-loaded walk of their own. South Carolina was unable to capitalize with just one out, however, as Nia McKnight hit into a double play on a fly ball. After the appeal, Tate Davis left third base early, attempting to tag up. 

Texas outfielder Kaiah Altmeyer drove a double into right field in the third, ending Lamb’s day. Two batters later, first baseman Katie Stewart blasted a two-run homer to give the Longhorns a 3-1 lead. The Gamecocks got a run back in the bottom half when Quincee Lilio scored on an Arianna Rodi groundout. 

Texas got some insurance in the seventh with an RBI single from Stewart, putting the game away. Texas starter Teagan Kavan threw a complete game for the Longhorns, bringing her record on the year to 9-0. 

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Game 2

Texas pitched to a 3-0 victory on Saturday as the Gamecocks got shut out. South Carolina mustered just four hits on the day, and all three Texas runs came after the fifth inning. 

Second baseman Leighann Goode drove a double in the sixth to score outfielder Kayden Henry. In the seventh, designated player Hannah Wells brought two more insurance runs home with a single. 

Heard threw 6.1 innings in the loss, allowing one run on five hits. Lamb allowed the other two runs in 0.2 innings in the seventh. 

Citlaly Gutierrez earned the win for Texas after throwing six innings of shutout softball. Her season ERA is at 1.59 with a 5-0 record. Kavan earned the save after striking out two in a clean seventh inning for the Longhorns. 

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Game 3

The series finale looked like it belonged to Texas the entire way, as they defeated the Gamecocks 5-2 on Sunday. 

Emma Friedel pitched a clean two innings to start the game for South Carolina, but a third-inning two-run homer from Henry ended her day. Lamb entered in relief and got out of a bases-loaded jam to leave the third trailing 2-0. 

The Gamecocks got into more trouble in the fourth after getting the first two outs of the inning. Henry reached on an error from Lamb in the circle, while Lamb walked the next better. Kaiah Altmeyer drove a double into center field to drive in the lead runner, ending Lamb’s day. 

“Disappointed with Nealy’s command, and I think if she was sitting here, she’d tell you the same thing,” Chastain Woodard said. “You need to figure out a way to command a little bit better coming into a situation where your team needs you to execute, and she has done that for us.”

Heard entered in relief for the Gamecocks and immediately gave up a two-RBI by catcher Reese Atwood. The Longhorns left the fourth up 5-0. 

South Carolina picked up a pair of runs before the game ended, however. Quincee Lilio scored on a failed pickoff attempt, and freshman outfielder Kai Byars drove a home run in the seventh, the second of her career. 

“It might not mean a lot for the score, this particular game,” Chastain Woodard said. “But I think it means a lot for her confidence and her belief and her mentality, and it’s a big moment against a really good pitching staff, as a freshman.” 

Next up

The Gamecocks begin a six-game non-conference slate, starting with the Duke Blue Devils on Tuesday night. First pitch is at 6 p.m. on the SEC Network. 

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