The South Carolina Gamecocks softball team secured two run-rule victories on Sunday, defeating Binghamton 9-1 and Winthrop 18-0 at the Gamecock Invitational. The wins bring the Gamecocks’ record to 3-2 for the season.
Nine players from South Carolina recorded hits across both games, while ten different players contributed runs batted in. The team hit five home runs during the day’s play. Tori Ensley achieved a cycle over the two games, with a triple in the first game and a single, double, and home run in the second.
In their first game against Binghamton, Julie Kelley started as pitcher for South Carolina and threw three hitless innings with one walk allowed. Emma Friedel took over in relief and earned her first win of the season by pitching two additional hitless innings and striking out two batters.
Tori Ensley began scoring for South Carolina with a triple in the second inning before stealing home. In the fifth inning, Quincee Lilio led off with a single followed by Karley Shelton’s double. Arianna Rodi drove in another run after an error by Binghamton. Tate Davis added to the score with a double that brought home Shelton and Rodi. Shae Anderson singled for another RBI, Precious Bross notched her first RBI as a Gamecock, and additional runs were scored on passed balls and errors to make it a seven-run inning.
Arianna Rodi finished the game with a walk-off home run in the sixth inning, resulting in a 9-1 victory under run-rule conditions.
In their matchup against Winthrop, KG Favors made her first career start as pitcher for South Carolina and delivered three scoreless innings with four strikeouts while allowing four hits. Nealy Lamb closed out the game by pitching two hitless innings to complete the shutout.
South Carolina scored three runs in the first inning through contributions from Davis, Ensley, and Winters. The second inning saw Karley Shelton hit her first home run of the season—a three-run shot—followed by back-to-back doubles from Ensley and Winters that concluded a six-run frame.
The offense continued into subsequent innings with doubles from Nia McKnight and Lilio leading off the third. Additional RBIs came from Davis on a sacrifice fly and Natalie Heath on a fielder’s choice.
In the fourth inning, McKnight connected for her first career home run—a two-run shot—while Shelton added her second homer of the game shortly after. Ensley capped off scoring with her own three-run homerun.
South Carolina is scheduled to compete next at the Carolina Classic beginning Friday, February 13th against Louisville at Carolina Softball Stadium; Boston University and Kennesaw State will also participate in this tournament.
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