South Carolina softball dominates UCF in NCAA Tournament rematch to reach region final
South Carolina softball dominated a losers bracket rematch with Central Florida 10-1 on Saturday after losing to the Knights on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament regional.
South Carolina (39-21) lost 6-1 to the Knights (40-20) in their first game of the tournament Friday, but the Gamecocks got their revenge Saturday after the Knights lost to No. 3 seed Florida State in the winners bracket. The victory came after South Carolina eliminated Marist with a 2-1 win hours earlier.
The Gamecocks advance to play Florida State (52-8) on Sunday (11 a.m., ESPN+) at JoAnne Graf Field in Tallahassee, Florida. The game will be a rematch of the 2019 Tallahassee region final, where South Carolina was eliminated by the Seminoles. Florida State has advanced to the Super Regional in eight of the last 10 seasons.
South Carolina will have to beat Florida State twice Sunday to advance.
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ROUND 1: South Carolina softball loses to UCF in NCAA Tournament regional, faces elimination Saturday
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South Carolina’s victory over UCF was fueled by an offensive explosion in the top of the fifth inning, forcing the Knights to cycle through four different pitchers. A sacrifice fly from Zoe Laneaux to bring Erin Sellers home with the bases loaded opened the floodgates: an Aaliyah White single paired with a throwing error brought three runners home, and White came home on a wild pitch after the Knights brought in their third pitcher of the inning.
The Gamecocks took advantage of UCF’s mistakes from the beginning, scoring first in the second inning on a throwing error. Laneaux had double, her first hit of the tournament, in the seventh inning because a Knights’ outfielder misjudged her pop fly.
White brought Laneaux home on a double to finish as the team’s top hitter, going 2-for-2 at the plate with two runs and three RBIs. However, it was Melissa Gonzalez who sealed the victory with a two-run home run, her fifth of the season. Senior pitcher Bailey Betenbaugh earned the win in the circle.
South Carolina softball score vs. Central Florida: Replay from NCAA Tournament regional
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina softball routs UCF in NCAA Tournament regional rematch
