COLUMBIA, SC — The fantastic season for the Gamecock softball team was on the line again on Sunday night but USC prevails once again with a 5-0 over Liberty to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals.
South Carolina and Liberty met for the Regional Championship at Beckham Field on Sunday night for the Region Championship. USC won earlier to force a final game.
Hartsville's own Cayla Drotar embraced the moment. She allowed just four hits in her complete game performance and struck out four batters.
USC's offense came alive in the bottom of the sixth inning. Krystan White, the walk-off hero from last night, gives USC some breathing room with an rbi double. USC is up 2-0 at that point.
That play started a big sixth inning for the Gamecocks. Mackenzie Boesel at the dish and she gets a base knock and that brings in two runs. Boesel got a triple out of it. Drotar added an insurance run and USC puts up a four spot in the sixth and that was enough.
The Gamecocks win their Regional title by shutting out Liberty 5-0 to advance to the Super Regional.
"At the beginning of the year we were on a mission and we had the warrior mindset to come out here prove to everybody and show what we were about and tonight we did that," Drotar said after the game. "I think to everybody in the world-I think we proved ourselves so I'm just so happy for our team and everything each player has done is so awesome."
"It's just another measuring stick. It just continues to build the confidence of this team and the fact that we had to come from behind, almost that we had to close out a one run game, you know we had a lot of tough plays and really had to grind it out and I think that's what postseason is about," USC head coach Beverly Smith said.
This will be the Gamecocks first appearance in a Super Regional since 2007.
Smith continues,"I think the fact that we had to work hard through it to get through this Regional I think will just build us going to Supers. I think it's another feather we can put in our hat."
How did USC get into the Regional Championship?
After Saturday night's thrilling walk-off home run from White to put USC into the final round Dixie Raley, the junior transfer, got the nod.
Coach Smith said she set the tone for the day and it gave USC momentum going into Sunday night's game.
Raley had six strikeouts and only allowed two hits through six innings holding Liberty to no runs.
Drotar smacked a two run home run that gave USC a 2-0 lead in the top of the 3rd for her 10th home run of the year. Then Raley finished what she started as she gets the game ending strikeout. She had 8 Ks in a complete game.
Now USC will travel to Tempe, AZ to face Arizona State for the Super Regional best of three series. The Sun Devils shutout Ole Miss 9-0 to win their Region.