A perfect start: What USC softball learned about itself after 4-0 opening weekend
It was a rare moment of adversity in a weekend full of relative success.
Cayla Drotar, South Carolina’s most trusted pitcher, had just lost an 11-pitch battle to UNC Greensboro’s Blayke Batten and the Spartans had two base runners with one out, threatening to increase their 2-1 lead in the third inning. Out from the dugout came USC coach Beverly Smith. What transpired was a meeting and, eventually, another win.
The 19th-ranked Gamecocks rallied to beat UNCG, 3-2, on Sunday at Beckham Field. They’re 4-0 in 2020 after an opening weekend of routs and a few close calls.
Sunday’s performance fit the latter category. Jana Johns was the hero with a walk-off double in the ninth inning.
“We were able to win four different ways,” Smith said of a weekend that saw the Gamecocks outscore North Dakota State, Southern Illinois, Ohio State and UNCG, 21-7, “which is great for our team. We had a lot of at-bats, we saw a lot of good pitching. So I feel good about the at-bats we were able to get, but I just like the experience and to start the season off with winning ways is great.
“I think we learned some lessons, too. Some things got exposed. But I like the fight we had. To be able to win in extra innings is going to be big for us. And I think that’ll show up for us later in the season.”
Drotar, the winning pitcher Friday as Carolina got by North Dakota State 4-2, plunked the first two batters she faced Sunday. That led to the Spartans (1-2) opening a 1-0 lead. It grew to 2-1 in third when Drotar allowed a home run to Hannah Kincer. With that advantage on the verge of increasing, Smith emerged for a talk in the circle.
“It was just a small adjustment for her,” Smith said. “Sometimes with pitchers, you just got to get them right back on track.”
The message worked as Drotar retired eight of the next nine batters, before handing things off to Kelsey Oh in the sixth.
Oh, the victory arm in wins over Ohio State (Friday) and Southern Illinois (Saturday), tossed a scoreless four innings of relief with eight strikeouts.
South Carolina’s offense, which entered with a .348 team batting average, struggled to capitalize on opportunities. The Gamecocks left the bases loaded in the third and two on in the fourth after Kassidy Krupit, a sophomore transfer from Baylor, had a solo home run to tie the game at 2.
They waited until the ninth for more fireworks.
Kenzi Maguire led off with a double and she moved to third on Mackenzie Boesel’s sacrifice bunt. Johns, the junior three-hole hitter, then delivered the first walk-off hit of her career.
“I was just trying to hit something hard to score her, for my team,” Johns said. “Just taking it one pitch at a time, taking deep breaths between each one, and just stay in the moment.”
The Gamecocks next travel to Florida to compete in the nationally televised St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational. They begin play Thursday against No. 18 Texas Tech (12:30 p.m., SEC Network), one of three matchups with ranked teams, including a Saturday test with No. 1 Washington (8 p.m., ESPNU).
“I think (this weekend) gives us a lot of confidence going into Clearwater,” Smith said. “It’s a big tournament. We’re really excited that we’re going to be on television in February. I think that’s exciting for this ESPN tournament, but I don’t think it’s going to be a lot different than here.
“We’re facing a lot of NCAA Tournament teams early in the season and it’s just a test for everybody. I think we’re excited for the warm weather and some great competition.”
