South Carolina Softball: Gamecocks win first game of NCAA Tournament

South Carolina softball coach Bev Smith led her Gamecocks squad to its second NCAA Tournament in a row. Chosen as a #2 seed in the Durham Regional, USC was pitted against the Utah Utes in their first game of the postseason with the winner having the opportunity to play the winner of the Duke Blue Devils and Morgan State Bears next.

As things turned out, the Gamecocks got their NCAA Tournament started on a winning note: just like when the two teams matched up in the regular season, South Carolina softball came out on top and proved that garnet is the superior shade of red compared to the "university red" that the Utah Utes don on their uniforms.

The game largely was a pitcher's duel as Carolina and Utah each managed just 4 hits in the game thanks to the pitching efforts of Alana Vawter (South Carolina) and Mariah Lopez (Utah). The two arms held the opposing teams scoreless in all but one inning as only the 3rd frame provided any plate crossings for the box score.

Utah, as the visiting squad, broke the scoreless tie with an RBI double from outfielder Abby Dayton that scored infielder Aliya Belard, but the Gamecocks answered back in the bottom half of the inning. After Denver Bryant and Riley Blampied reached base (a walk for Bryant and a double for Blampied), Jen Cummings scored Bryant with a sacrifice fly, and Aniyah Black scored Blampied with a single.

The 2-1 lead held the rest of the way as Vawter induced a lot of weak contact from the Ute bats, including the weak fly ball to left field that ended the game. Carolina is now two wins away from advancing to the Super Regional.

The Gamecocks will play the winner of the Duke Blue Devils and Morgan State Bears on Saturday at 11:00 AM EST.