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South Carolina Athletics
Photo: South Carolina Athletics
TALLAHASSEE, Florida – The South Carolina softball team (40-22) forced a win-win Game 7 of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional on Sunday afternoon (May 21), as the Gamecocks won Game 1 4-0 against the No. 3 Florida State (53-9). Carolina was unable to sweep the day, as the Seminoles won Game 2 1-0, ending the Gamecocks’ season.
South Carolina’s first win was Florida State’s first loss at home in over a year. The Gamecocks end their season with 40 wins for the first time since 2018, their second time under head coach Beverly Smith.
GAME 1
The Gamecocks struck early on the No. 3 Seminoles, scoring twice late in the first. Jordan Fabian started with a single down the left field line and Zoe Laneaux followed with a bunt single, moving up to second in pitching. Riley Blampied filed a suicidal bunt, marking Fabian. One out later, Jen Cummings scored on the left field line, scoring Laneaux.
South Carolina put an exclamation mark on the game in fifth. A walk and an error put two runners in scoring position. Aniyah Black stepped in and, with a full count, scored from the left side, driving Fabian and Blampied home.
Carolina pitchers allowed just two hits on the day, two singles to start the first and second innings. They have retired Florida State’s last 18 batters in a row. Karsen Ochs started and pitched three innings, allowing two hits and striking out two. Donnie Gobourne (14-7) got the win right out of the box and was perfect the last four innings, striking out four.
GAME 2
The Gamecock offense just couldn’t get started in the win-win game, as they went without a base runner in the game.
The only run came in the bottom of the third, when FSU scored on a bunt pitching error.
Bailey Betenbaugh (9-3) suffered the loss as she allowed four hits in 2 innings 1-3. Gobourne ended his Gamecock career by pitching the last 3 innings 2-3, allowing two hits and striking out one. Gobourne finished his season with 203 strikeouts, 13th all-time in a season. She is the first pitcher since Melissa Hendon in 2007 to eclipse the 200 mark.