Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina struck for five runs in the bottom half of the first inning and cruised to a 10-0 victory over Furman in non-conference softball action Wednesday afternoon at Carolina Softball Stadium.
The loss dropped the Paladins to 7-18 on the season while South Carolina improved to 24-7. Game two of the twinbill was canceled after the first pitch of game one was delayed more than two hours due to rain.
After Furman went down in order in the top of the first, South Carolina worked two walks before loading the bases with nobody out on a bunt single. Riley Blampied lined the first pitch she saw to right field to drive in two runs and Aniyah Black reached on a fielder's choice bunt that scored Zoe Laneaux. A groundout by Marissa Gonzalez and bunt single by Guilla Desiderio plated two more runs before Desiderio was retired in a run down and Jordan Fabian lined out to center field to end the five-run frame.
The Gamecocks followed their first-inning outburst with a pair of runs in the second. A leadoff single and one-out walk set the table for Laneaux, who laced an RBI single to right field. Blampied added a triple into the right field corner to drive in her third run of the game.
South Carolina continued to add to its lead in the bottom of the third inning. The first three batters reached base, capped by Fabian's RBI base hit to left field. After a pair of groundouts, including an RBI grounder from Brooke Blankenship, Jen Cummings lined a single to right to increase the margin to 10-0.
Leah Powell allowed just one hit over four shutout innings in the circle to earn the victory and improve to 1-1. Karsen Ochs worked around a single in the fifth to close the game.
Blampied and Laneaux each notched two hits for the Gamecocks while Cummings reached base three times with a hit and two walks.
Emme Buzhardt (2-5) suffered the loss for Furman. She surrendered seven runs on six hits and three walks in two innings of work. Freshman
Kiley Perry delivered both base hits for the Paladins.
Furman opens Southern Conference play with a three-game series at Western Carolina this weekend. All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+. The Paladins, who will have played 19 of the last 21 games on the road, return home to host USC Upstate in a midweek doubleheader on March 29 at 4 p.m.
