Sunday: L, 2–1
Boston College softball battled deep into its series finale against No. 23 South Carolina but ultimately came up short, falling 2–1 on a walk-off run in the seventh inning on Sunday.
The Eagles (9–18, 1–2 Atlantic Coast) leaned on strong pitching and steady defense for most of the game, holding the Gamecocks (19–10, 0–3 Southeastern) scoreless through six innings before the hosts rallied late to secure the win.
From the first pitch, the matchup unfolded as a pitcher’s duel. BC starter Bailey Kendziorski set the tone early, working efficiently through South Carolina’s lineup and limiting hard contact while the Eagles’ defense backed her with clean play behind the mound.
Offensively, BC found its breakthrough in the third inning. Nicole Riddell stepped to the plate and launched a solo home run over the right-field fence, giving the Eagles a 1–0 lead off what turned out to be BC’s only run of the day.
South Carolina threatened to respond several times as the game progressed, but Kendziorski continued to work her team out of trouble. The Gamecocks scattered hits across multiple innings, but the Eagles’ defense and steady pitching preserved their narrow advantage as the game moved into the final frame.
BC’s balancing act finally shifted in the bottom of the seventh.
South Carolina opened the inning with a single, quickly putting pressure on the BC defense to prevent a game-tying run. With two outs on the board and a runner on first base, Tori Ensley stepped up to the plate. And after silencing South Carolina for six innings, Kendziorski finally broke.
Ensley’s at-bat realized BC’s greatest fear, as she boomed a triple to right center and scored Quincee Lilio. Tate Davis hit an RBI single on the next at-bat, and Ensley ran through home plate to give the Gamecocks a 2–1 victory.
Saturday: L, 9–1
After a mercy-rule loss on Friday, BC was looking for redemption on Saturday afternoon.
But Saturday’s matchup against the Gamecocks didn’t prove to be any more successful for the Eagles. In fact, the game was cut even shorter than Friday’s, as BC trailed 7–1 after the third inning and ultimately fell 9–1 in five frames.
The Gamecocks quickly earned a three-run lead in the opening inning. Two walks and a two-RBI triple to center field put South Carolina up 2–0, and a sacrifice fly pushed it to a 3–0 lead in the bottom of the first.
The second inning ended scoreless for both teams, as BC pitcher Kelly Colleran forced a fly out, a ground out, and a strikeout to end the frame.
Tavye Borders hit a leadoff double in the third inning, then advanced to third base on a sacrifice play from Kae DePerio. It was ultimately Sammy Horn who hit Borders home with a sacrifice fly, putting BC on the board. That turned out to be the Eagles’ only score of the game, however, and the bottom of the inning brought a new set of problems for BC.
Colleran pitched a walk, three singles, and a triple in the bottom of the inning, allowing the Gamecocks to stretch their lead to 7–1. BC sent Kendziorski in to relieve Colleran, and she pitched a lineout to close the inning.
The fourth inning was scoreless for both teams, but the fifth inning was the nail in the coffin for BC. Relief pitcher Alyx Rossi hit the first batter she faced, then Mackay hit a homer to left field to push South Carolina’s lead to eight and end the game with a 9–1 Gamecock win.
Friday: L, 10–2
BC fell 10–2 to South Carolina on Friday to kick off its weekend series against the Gamecocks.
South Carolina racked up a dominant lead during the first five innings, securing a 6–0 lead that BC did not chip into until the top of the sixth inning.
The early lead from the Gamecocks came off a throwing error during a stolen base attempt. The unearned run put South Carolina up 1–0 and set the tone for the rest of the game.
BC struggled offensively through the first five innings, scraping out only one hit while striking out 10 times.
South Carolina built on its lead during the third inning. A walk and defensive error put runners in scoring position for Davis to deliver an RBI single. A sacrifice fly from Alyssa Hovermale followed, extending the lead to 3–0.
The fourth and fifth innings followed in a similar manner, with the Gamecocks notching a solo homer and capitalizing on another BC throwing error to stretch the advantage to 6–0.
Defense was an issue for the Eagles all night. BC made four errors during the game, which turned into four unearned runs for South Carolina.
The Eagles finally broke through in the sixth inning. Hits from Riddell and Borders set up Horn to drive in the Eagles’ first run. Janis Espinoza added a sacrifice fly to bring the score to 6–2.
All hopes of a comeback were quickly dashed in the bottom half of the inning when South Carolina added a two-run homer and a pair of solo shots to go up 10–2. That was enough to bring the run-rule into effect and seal a series-opening win for South Carolina.
