March 22, 2012
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina (19-13, 2-6 SEC) looks to return to its winning ways against a tough LSU (20-8, team this weekend at Beckham Field. Friday’s first game is set for 6 p.m. EDT, with start times for Saturday and Sunday scheduled for 2 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. Gametracker live stats and a live audio feed will be available at GamecocksOnline.com.
The Gamecocks have dropped four straight, including a series sweep at the hands of No. 4 Florida last weekend in Gainesville. The series pits South Carolina’s resurgent offense that has 29 home runs on the year against LSU’s stellar pitching, which holds a 1.58 ERA on the season.
LSU, under first-year head coach Beth Torina, has a dynamic one-two punch in the circle. Rachele Fico holds a 0.74 ERA in 85.2 innings of work, while Brittany Mack has fanned 94 batters and walked 26 in 77.1 innings. Ashley Langoni stands as the most dangerous Tiger hitter, posting a team-best .441 on-base percentage and a .507 slugging percentage. She has three of the Tigers’ seven homers and leads the way with 18 RBI.
The Tigers own a 34-14 advantage in the series that dates back to pre-SEC days, taking 10 straight since 2008. In Columbia, the Gamecocks are 6-12 against the Tigers. Notably, the two teams met in the SEC Tournament finals in consecutive years (2000-01), splitting the two matchups.
Fans can also get score updates from the games on Twitter by following the @GamecockSoftbll account.
