COLUMBIA, S.C. – A midweek doubleheader at South Carolina Wednesday night did not go Charleston Southern's way, as the Bucs dropped both games by scores of 16-2 (in five innings) and 5-2 to the host Gamecocks.

GAME 1 | SOUTH CAROLINA 16, CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 2 (5 INNINGS)
The visiting Buccaneers quickly jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top-half of the first after Ashley Meckley led off the game with a double to left field. A sacrifice bunt back to the pitcher moved her over and 60 feet away. She then scored on the next pitch, a sacrifice fly to left by Gracie Prince, for the game's first run and a 1-0 CSU advantage.

South Carolina responded with five in the bottom of the first and before tacking on two more in the bottom of the second, increasing its lead to 7-1 headed to the third inning. The same part of the lineup was at it again for Charleston Southern (5-9), with Meckley singling to right center with one out. She advanced to second on a wild pitch by Gamecocks' starter Leah Powell. Meckley continued to work her way around the bases, moving to third on a Weslin Jones ground out. Prince again shortened the count, sending a 1-0 pitch down the left field line for a double, driving in her second run of the game, and closing the gap to 7-2.

Neither side push across any more runs until South Carolina (9-5) put the game out of reach with a nine-run bottom of the fourth. The Buccaneers managed one base runner during their last trip to the plate, as Weslin Jones reached on a fielding error by the first baseman, but CSU was unable to bring her home.

Meckley finished 2-of-3 at the plate with the two runs scored. Prince drove in both runs as part of her 1-of-2 contest, while SeaEnna Satcher and Lexi Markle also were 1-of-2 at the plate to round out the Charleston Southern offense.

Baylee Eaton took the loss, surrendering six runs (all earned) in one complete inning before giving way to Blake Holtorf for the final-three frames.

GAME 2 | SOUTH CAROLINA 5, CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 2
The Bucs kept the second game closer, slowing down the SC offense in a three-run difference. The Gamecocks scored first, this time, as Zoe Laneaux opened the second inning with a double down the right-field line. Marissa Gonzalez came in as a pitch runner and she advance to third on a flyout to center by Riley Blampied. Gonzalez then raced home on a comebacker off pitcher Annah Junge, which eventually landed at second-baseman Madison Koger who got the sure out of batter Kassidy Krupit at first.

South Carolina (10-5) scratched two more across in the bottom of the third, building a 3-0 edge. Carlie Henderson led off with a single before coming around to score on a Jordan Fabian double to right center. Fabian advanced to third on an Emma Sellers fly out on a full count and then came home with Hannah Kumiyama singling to left.

Charleston Southern (5-10) finally got its runs on the board in the visitor-half of the fourth. Prince started the offense with a one-out single down the left-field line. Lilly Bishop went the same pace with her double in the next at-bat and Prince moved to third. Erika Cooper relieved Bishop on the middle base as a pitch runner. With runners in scoring position, Satcher doubled to the left-center gap on the first pitch she saw from Kelsey Oh, plating both RBI and making it a 3-2 contest heading to the bottom of the inning.

It would stay that way until SC tacked on two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. Laneaux belted a lead-off home run. The next batter, Blampied, doubled to left and then moved to third on a single by Giulia Desiderio. Two quick outs, including a Prince-to-Meckley connection to catch Desiderio caught stealing at second base, seemed to flip the momentum back to the Buccaneers. However, Henderson hit a single down the left-field line, allowing Blampied to score from 60 feet away, for the game's final run.

Prince, Bishop, Satcher and Ashlyn Cribb collected the four Bucs hits, while Taylor Gleason also reached base on a walk. Junge went the distance in the circle, facing 29 batters and striking out three Gamecocks. She scattered the 11 hits over the six innings of work.

UP NEXT
The Buccaneers return to the CSU Softball Complex for a three-game series, this weekend, against Mercer. The two teams will meet in a doubleheader Saturday, starting at 1 p.m., before concluding the set at 1 p.m. Sunday. Admission to all Charleston Southern softball games is free.