St. John’s Falls, 9-1, to No. 14/14 South Carolina

Sunday, February 17

Columbia, S.C.

12:30 p.m.

St. John's University

4-5

South Carolina

7-2

St. John's

South Carolina

St. John’s Falls, 9-1, to No. 14/14 South Carolina

2/17/2019 5:16:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Box Score vs. SC Photo Gallery

The Red Storm completes the Gamecock Invitational with a 2-2 record

COLUMBIA, S.C. (Feb. 17, 2019) – The St. John's softball team dropped its final game of the Gamecock Invitational, 9-1, to No. 14/14 South Carolina on Sunday afternoon.

            Freshman Meisha Murray ruined Gamecocks' starter Dixie Raley's perfect game with a leadoff walk, reaching base safely for the seventh-straight game. However, South Carolina (7-2) held the Red Storm (4-5) hitless in the first four frames.

            The Gamecocks second baseman Mackenzie Boesel drove in first two runs of the game, lining a double to left-center to give South Carolina a 2-0 advantage in the second. St. John's center fielder Kalei Sorensen prevented a third run from scoring when she laid out for a short fly ball behind second base for the first out of the inning. Madison Morris would end the Gamecocks' threat by forcing two fly ball outs.

            Both teams were held scoreless in the third and fourth before the Johnnies pressured Raley in the fifth frame. Amelia Ditolvo worked a one-out walk to give the Red Storm its third base-runner of the game. Following the base on balls, Natalie Giroux smacked an RBI double to right-center after a 10-pitch at-bat. The junior fouled off five-straight pitches before cutting the Gamecocks lead to one, 2-1.

          The Presque Isle, Maine, native started all four games for the Red Storm, finishing the weekend batting .444 with four hits, two RBIs and a run scored. Through seven appearances in 2019, the St. John's outfielder leads the team with a .417 batting average.

            South Carolina responded with a seven-run fifth inning, mercy ruling the Red Storm, 9-1. St. John's has dropped its second straight meeting with South Carolina since 2018.

            The Johnnies posted a 2-2 record in Columbia, S.C., batting a combined .292, with four home runs and 15 runs scored. Rookie Peyton Cody drove in five of those 15 in Gamecock territory, three of which came on a bases-clearing triple versus UNC Greensboro on Friday afternoon. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native also hit her first career home run against Campbell on Saturday.

Junior Gretchen Bowie hit a home run in both games against the Spartans on Friday and Saturday, tying Marissa Rizzi for the team lead. Rizzi also smacked her second of the 2019 campaign against UNC Greensboro.

      St. John's takes a weekend off before heading down to Madeira Beach, Fla., for the start of its spring break trip at the Madeira Beach Invitational on March 1.