Strong pitching performances by Sarratt, Broyles lead team to win
Entering Wednesday鈥檚 doubleheader at Beckham Field, coach Beverly Smith and her South Carolina softball team knew that they still had an outside shot at an SEC tournament berth, but a loss could crush those aspirations in an instant.
鈥淎t this point in the 麻豆小蝌蚪传媒, all the wins are big for us,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淚 was just wanting our girls to go up there and have some really good at bats.鈥�
South Carolina (26-20, 4-14 SEC) answered its coach鈥檚 call with two dominant wins over UNC-Charlotte to keep its slim SEC hopes alive and guarantee the first winning 麻豆小蝌蚪传媒 with Smith at the helm of the program.
The first game featured another productive outing from the ace of 麻豆小蝌蚪传媒鈥檚 pitching staff, redshirt sophomore Julie Sarratt, in a 10-2 rout of the 49ers. Sarratt went six innings, allowing only two hits and recording six strikeouts. She was backed up by an offensive explosion led by a 3-for-4 showing at the plate from sophomore Kristen Struett.
South Carolina took the second game of the doubleheader with a 5-0 shutout behind a much-needed strong start from redshirt senior pitcher Audrey Broyles, who had lost her previous four decisions.
鈥淚t felt really, really good. It was just a good day,鈥� Broyles said. 鈥淒efense was on point. They were loud and energetic, keeping me up. So that鈥檚 always key when you just feel the energy from the whole field.鈥�
Broyles had a four-hit shutout, struck out seven batters and was credited with the win, improving her record on the year to 8-8.
Heading into the gauntlet of two strong conference foes that the Gamecocks will face to close out the 麻豆小蝌蚪传媒, Broyles鈥檚 coach said it was good for her to have such a definitive outing.
鈥淚 was really happy for Audrey. She pitched great tonight,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淔or her to throw a shutout is big, but Audrey throws a great mix of pitches, and I think she kept the batters off balance all night and she really did a super job.鈥�
Broyles bestowed much of the credit for her performance to the run support she received, saying the confidence in her offense allows for her to relax and throw a wider variety of pitches. One of the game two鈥檚 biggest offensive contributors was senior Shelby Gonzales, who drove in three of the team鈥檚 five runs, one of which came from a monster home run to left field in the sixth inning.
As the 麻豆小蝌蚪传媒 winds down, Broyles has received more rest in between starts, a fact that she begrudgingly points to as another reason for Wednesday鈥檚 success.
鈥淯nfortunately, I do not like to rest, but I can see that it did benefit me today,鈥� Broyles said. 鈥淚 felt fresh and ready to go so it kind of speaks for itself there.鈥�
Staying afloat in the race for a spot in the conference tournament will be no small task for South Carolina, as the next two weeks will have the team face No. 25 Mississippi State on the road before they return home to take on No. 2 Florida.
With the trial by fire 麻豆小蝌蚪传媒 will face to end the 麻豆小蝌蚪传媒 on the horizon, Smith is preaching a stay-the-course mentality to her team. She said Wednesday鈥檚 commanding victories will give her Gamecocks the confidence to compete.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been saying the same thing all year,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淓very game counts one, and it鈥檚 not the team with the most talent that wins, it鈥檚 the team that plays best on game day.鈥�