South Carolina Softball Secures Major Road Series Victory Against No. 5 LSU Tigers

Live from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I’m reporting on South Carolina Softball’s remarkable rebound after a five-game losing streak following their perfect 20-0 start. The Gamecocks, under Coach Ashley Chastain Woodard, have fought back impressively, taking three series against top-15 teams and defeating rival Clemson Tigers midweek. And this weekend, they stunned the nation, taking down the No. 3 team, LSU Tigers, in a thrilling top-10 matchup.

Let me walk you through how this weekend unfolded.

Game One

Friday night’s opener was a tough one for South Carolina, as the team suffered an 11-3 loss. This was their first run-rule defeat of the season. Nealy Lamb, Jori Heard, and Kadie Becker all took the mound but couldn’t stop the LSU Tigers‘ scorching offense. LSU racked up nine hits and capitalized on seven walks, consistently reaching base in nearly every inning. On offense, the Gamecocks couldn’t find their rhythm, recording no extra-base hits – a rare occurrence for a team ranked third in the nation for doubles – and only one walk.

After such a tough start, it didn’t leave much room for optimism, but Mother Nature intervened with bad weather, pushing game two to Sunday as part of a double-header. This gave the Gamecocks an extra day to reset and regroup mentally.

Game Two

The second game wasn’t the cleanest of performances, but the Gamecocks emerged victorious with a 5-3 win. USC jumped to a 1-0 lead, thanks to a two-error inning by LSU. Sam Gress took the mound, showing resilience as she battled her control but managed to limit the Tigers to just three runs on 10 baserunners.

In the seventh, Quincee Lilio and Karley Shelton smacked back-to-back doubles, and Ella Chancey followed up with a clutch single to push USC back ahead. LSU tied the game in the bottom of the seventh, but South Carolina wasn’t done. In the eighth, they scored two more runs with only two singles, and Gress returned to the circle in the bottom half to close it out, earning the complete-game victory.

Game Three

The Gamecocks, riding high from their extra-innings win, sealed the series with a dominant 4-1 victory. Jori Heard redeemed herself from Friday’s struggles with a stellar six-inning performance, allowing just one earned run and six baserunners. Sam Gress came in for the final inning to clinch the win.

Despite striking out 10 times, the Gamecocks had solid plate discipline, working five walks. Big hits came from Arianna Rodi, who delivered a crucial double, and Mya Flindt, who launched a home run. These extra-base hits provided much-needed insurance, as Chloe Lackey, Rodi’s pinch runner, and Flindt crossed the plate for the third and fourth runs, respectively. With solid pitching from Heard and Gress, those runs proved to be more than enough.

Next Up

Next week, the Gamecocks return home for a mid-week matchup against the Wofford Terriers on Tuesday at Beckham Field at 6:00 p.m. (streamed on SEC Network+). Then, they’ll face another tough challenge with a weekend series against the Ole Miss Rebels, a top-20 team that may climb even higher after their series win over Missouri.

Here’s the weekend schedule for the Ole Miss series:

• Game 1: Friday, April 3rd at 6:00 p.m. (streamed on SEC Network+)
• Game 2: Saturday, April 4th at Noon (broadcast on SEC Network, streamed on ESPN app)
• Game 3: Sunday, April 5th at 3:00 p.m. (broadcast on SEC Network, streamed on ESPN app)

Stay tuned for more updates on South Carolina Softball!