Gamecocks outlast North Florida, advance to NCAA softball regional final
South Carolina softball is officially one step closer to punching its ticket to an NCAA Tournament Super Regional.
The Gamecocks outlasted North Florida 3-0 on Saturday after the teams were locked in a pitchers’ duel for most of the game.
With the win, South Carolina advances to the Columbia Regional championship on Sunday. The Gamecocks will play North Florida again. The Ospreys rallied to beat Virginia, 6-5, on Saturday evening to get the rematch with USC.
Pitching shines
Both South Carolina and North Florida’s starting pitchers nearly went the distance.
Allison Benning started for the Ospreys, a day after she threw 107 pitches in seven innings against Virginia and allowed just one hit. Benning, one of the more talented players in DI softball, entered the game with a 25-5 record and 1.49 ERA.
Benning was nearly flawless through her first four innings of work. South Carolina could only tally one hit in that stretch. The Gamecocks’ best chance to get runs off of Benning came in the top of the fifth inning (although South Carolina was hosting the game, they were the visitors). South Carolina got a single, just the Gamecocks’ second hit of the game, and drew a walk but left two runners on base, squandering the opportunity.
“We tip our hat to her,” South Carolina third baseman Ella Chancey said. “She’s definitely a good pitcher. I think she’s effective just because she has such a difference in speed change. So she can go to that changeup, but she also has the hard. I think we can get in trouble and get caught in between, when you aren’t really decisive on what you want, so that’s kind of why she was effective early in the game.”
While Benning was dealing for the Ospreys, South Carolina had an ace in its own right putting together a strong outing.
Sixth-year veteran Sam Gress kept North Florida off the board for the entirety of her time in the game.
Gress pitched a strong 4 2/3 innings and gave up six hits. Each time it seemed North Florida had a chance to score, Gress was able to slam the door on the Ospreys’ offense.
“I think in those moments, I really rely on the people around me,” Gress said. “So that’s the infielders and outfielders, and especially Lexi Winters behind the plate. Eye contact is a huge thing for me, so just leaning on them in those moments and focusing on my breath a little bit more. I think breathing just allows me to slow down a little bit, get my heart rate down.”
Gress finished with four strikeouts and was relieved with two outs in the top of the fifth by Jori Heard. Gress even flashed the skills that landed her on the All-SEC Defense Team a few times, including a diving tag to get a North Florida base runner out who was stuck in a pickle.
Late-game magic
South Carolina was finally able to get to Benning in the top of the sixth inning.
Chancey, who missed hitting a home run by a matter of inches earlier in the game, plopped a ball into short right field for a double with a runner on. North Florida’s throw to home skipped off the catcher, allowing Chloe Lackey to score to make it 1-0. Chancey to advance to third on the error.
Benning walked the next batter and was replaced by Kylah Berry, who walked South Carolina’s Brooke Blankenship to load the bases. Emma Sellers proceeded to bring two runs home with a single through the left side, giving the Gamecocks a 3-0 lead.
“Took us a little time to get going,” South Carolina head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard said. “We were talking about it in the dugout, just kind of how we were going to figure out Benning, but I felt like we reset, refocused on the right thing there in the middle of the game and it really paid off for us.”
Benning was on the hook for the runs, meaning she ended her outing with three runs, three hits, two strikeouts and four walks in 5 2/3 innings of work.
Chancey said the Gamecocks could tell Benning, who threw 110 total pitches, was beginning to get tired in the sixth and tried their best to take advantage of the opportunity on offense.
“We knew that we had to capitalize on that, because it was really evident,” Chancey said. “So I think when we see a pitcher start to honestly labor out there a little bit, that’s when we really just have to put our intention more into the game and that’s when we can really generate something and make it happen.”
The burst of offense in the sixth was all South Carolina needed to secure the win. Heard, who started Friday’s game for South Carolina, was able to keep a lid on North Florida’s offense for the remainder of the game. She didn’t allow a hit in 2 1/3 innings of work.
Columbia Regional schedule
All games played at Carolina Softball Stadium. TV or streaming details listed where available. Full bracket can be seen here.
Game 1: North Florida beats Virginia 2-1
Game 2: South Carolina beats Elon 5-2
Game 3: South Carolina beats North Florida 3-0
Game 4: Virginia 12, Elon 0
Game 5: North Florida 6, Virginia 5
Regional final: South Carolina vs. North Florida (Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN2)*
*if necessary, second game of regional final will be played Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
This story was originally published May 17, 2025 at 3:38 PM.
