Courtesy of South Carolina Athletics
COLUMBIA, S.C. – A home run barrage and a four-hit shutout from sophomore Nickie Blue led South Carolina (19-8, 1-3 SEC) to an 8-0 (6) victory over No. 9/15 Tennessee (18-4, 0-1 SEC) on Friday night at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
The Gamecocks led off the first three innings in style, getting homers from junior Alaynie Page twice and sophomore Kaylea Snaer once to take a 3-0 lead. Snaer had a part in the fourth Gamecock run, as her third-inning fly ball to left was dropped by the Lady Vol outfielder, allowing sophomoreVictoria Williams to score from first after she reached with a two-out single.
In the fifth, senior Kristen Struett joined the home run parade with a three-run shot to left, making it 7-0. Page started the inning by being hit by a pitch, and junior Jordan Bizzell followed with a bunt single, setting up the Struett bomb. The final South Carolina run came across in the sixth when Bizzell drew a bases-loaded walk, forcing home freshman Krystan White to end the game.
Blue (10-4) tossed a four-hit shutout, walking three and striking out four. She worked out of a couple of jams, including a second-and third, one-out pickle in the first and a first-and-third, no-out situation in the fifth. Erin Gabriel (8-2) took the loss for the Lady Vols, giving up seven runs, six earned, on six hits in four-plus innings.
Game Changer:
The second pitch the Gamecocks’ Page saw flew over the center-field wall, setting the tone for the evening.
Key Stat:
Page went 3-for-3 with two homers, three runs and a HBP.
