USC rolls past North Florida 8-0 in 5 inning to win Columbia Regional
COLUMBIA, S.C. (USC SID) – For the third time in program history, the South Carolina softball team is heading to the NCAA Super Regionals. The No. 8 seed Gamecocks (43-15) won the Columbia Regional Tournament Sunday (May 18), taking down North Florida (47-15) 8-0 in a five-inning rule-rule victory.
Brook Blankenship and Abigail Knight led the Carolina offense with a pair of hits on the day. Knight drove in three runs while Blankenship has two RBIs.
The game resembled the Gamecocks first face-off against North Florida, with both teams held scoreless through the top of the fourth inning. Sam Gress (13-9) in the start for Carolina tossed four scoreless innings, giving up three hits. Like the previous matchup, the Gamecocks broke through offensively first.
In the bottom of the fourth, Ella Chancey reached on an error and stole second. Brooke Blankenship had the clutch single, allowing Chancey to score. Abigail Knight followed with a single to score Blankenship and give the Gamecocks the only runs they would need.
Jori Heard came in the fifth to pitch a clean frame to prevent a response from North Florida and earn her third save of the season.
The game broke open in the bottom of the fifth when Karley Shelton found a two out single to put one on for Arianna Rodi. Rodi's double to right center scored Shelton and took down two records in the process. Her hit marked the team's 324th RBI and 96th double on the season, setting a single-season record.
Pinch runner Chloe Lackey scored on a Lexi Winters single to put the Gamecocks up by four. Back-to-back singles from Blankenship and Knight put Carolina within reach of ending the game early. With a 1-1 count, senior Emma Sellers made the final blow with a single to left for the walk-off win in run-rule fashion.
With the win, the Gamecocks punched their ticket to the Super Regional for the first time since 2018. It will be the first time they have hosted a Super Regional at Carolina Softball Stadium since the format was implemented in 2005.
Carolina will host the Super Regional and winners of the Los Angeles Regional, either UCLA or UC Santa Barbara, with the schedule to be announced.
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