USCB softball sweeps Kentucky Christian, extends streak to 4
The USCB softball team used a big inning to break open Game 1 and walked off with a marathon victory in Game 2 of a doubleheader sweep of visiting Kentucky Christian on Tuesday.
The Sand Sharks did all their damage in the third inning in a 7-2 win in the opener, then topped the Knights on Marissa Becker’s RBI single in the 10th inning to complete the sweep and run their winning streak to a season-best four games.
Haley Brown’s leadoff homer set off USCB’s seven-run third inning in the first game. Brodie McGregor added a two-run single and Missy Hughes had a three-run double later in the inning.
That was plenty of support for freshman Abby Pac, who struck out five and allowed two runs — one earned — on four hits in a complete-game victory.
Senior Ashlie Layman picked up where Pac left off, pitching a school-record 10 innings and allowing one run and four hits while striking out 10. Layman allowed only one hit after the fourth inning, when Kailey Rigdon’s RBI single gave the Knights a 1-0 lead.
The Sand Sharks tied it in the fifth, when Kayla Boyle’s liner up the middle was deflected, allowing Whitley Martin to score. USCB loaded the bases in the sixth, and the Sand Sharks thought they had claimed the lead on Hughes’ hit, but she was called out for making contact while outside the batter’s box, ending the inning.
Layman and Jenna Edwards continued to duel in extra innings, which each repeatedly stranding runners placed at second to begin each inning under the international tiebreaker rule.
The Sand Sharks finally cashed in one of those runners in the 10th, when Brown began the inning at second, advanced on Kayla Boyle’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Becker’s single to left.
USCB hopes to carry the momentum into its Sun Conference opener Friday at Thomas (Ga.). The doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m.
Baseball USC’s Jones named week’s top hitter
Fresh off of SEC Player of the Week honors, South Carolina sophomore catcher John Jones was named National Hitter of the Week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Jones hit .500 (7-for-14) in the Arkansas series with a pair of game-winning home runs and eight runs batted in.
The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each Division I conference each week and names National Player of the Week winners each Tuesday throughout the season — one hitter and one pitcher.
Jones opened the series Friday by going 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and a RBI in the 10-6 win. He followed that up with a two-run homer to break a 2-2 tied in the 6-2 win over Arkansas on Saturday. Jones capped the weekend off Sunday by going 3-for-5 with a double and a game-winning three-rum homer in the bottom of the eighth inning that lifted Carolina to an 8-6 victory over the Razorbacks. Jones’ five RBIs in Sunday’s contest was a career-high.
Jones leads the SEC in batting average (.422) and is tied for the league lead with six home runs and 57 total bases. He ranks third in RBIs (31), third in on-base percentage (.515) and fourth in slugging percentage (.687).
This is Jones’ second national honor. He earned National Player of the Week from Collegiate Baseball following the Penn State series.
This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 9:19 PM with the headline "USCB softball sweeps Kentucky Christian, extends streak to 4."