February 15, 2024
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico - Bailey Urban’s two-run double capped a four-run top of the seventh as Wichita State rallied to shock #20 South Carolina 6-5 at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge.
If the top of the seventh wasn’t exciting enough, the Gamecocks had the bases loaded with one out in the home half of the inning when Zoe Laneaux grounded to first and the Shockers got the force at home for the second out. Laneaux, thinking they threw to first, left the base and went back to the dugout. She then tried to go back to first after being told what happened,, but was called out to end the game in one of the most bizarre endings you will see.
Wichita State improves to 3-2 on the season handing South Carolina (6-1) its first loss of the season.
Alison Cooper (1-1) got the win in relief allowing one hit and an unearned run .
Chloe Barber, who started, came back on and got the save as she went five innings total and struck out a career-high eight.
Zoe Laneaux’s three-run double in the second cleared the bases to give South Carolina a 3-0 lead. The Gamecocks had three of their seven hits on the night in the inning.
The Shockers got on the board in the third on an RBI single by Sami Hood scoring CC Wong, who doubled.
The Gamecocks added one more run in the fifth on an RBI double by Jen Cummings for a 4-1 lead.
Wichita State got one back in the sixth as Hood singled and later scored on a throwing error cutting the deficit to 4-2, but the Shockers left the tying runs in scoring position.
Riley Blampied’s RBI single in the sixth gave South Carolina a 5-2 lead.
Addison Barnard’s two-run single pulled the Shockers to within 5-4 with nobody out in the seventh before Urban’s go-ahead double.
Wong and Hood each had three hits to lead the Shockers offense.
Cummings had two hits for South Carolina.