The South Carolina softball team has already earned a piece of history at the 2023 SEC Tournament. The 10th-seeded Gamecocks will get another chance to make magic on Saturday.
USC — the lowest seed ever to earn a spot in the SEC Tournament finals — will face the top-seeded Tennessee Lady Volunteers next with the conference tournament title on the line.
The Gamecocks punched their ticket to the championship game with three straight one-run victories — including wins over No. 12 Georgia and No. 17 Auburn — and a collection of heroic moments.
What time, what channel
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Who: South Carolina (36-19) vs. No. 4 Tennessee (42-8)
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When: 3 p.m. Saturday
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Where: Bogle Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas
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TV: ESPN
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Stream: via the ESPN app
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2023 series: These two teams met May 5-7 to close out the regular season, with the Lady Vols taking two of three in Knoxville. South Carolina won the series finale 4-2 after dropping the first games 3-0 and 4-2.
How they got here
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The Gamecocks: South Carolina is 37-19 overall and finished regular-season conference play 9-15 — quite the bounce-back from a down 2022 that including a losing overall record and 3-21 mark in the SEC. USC added Donnie Gobourne (13-6, 2.20 ERA) via the transfer portal for this season, and she’s led the way in the circle with 185 strikeouts in 117.2 innings pitched. The Gamecocks are well-positioned to return to the NCAA Tournament in their 11th season under coach Beverly Smith. (The NCAA selection show is Sunday night.)
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The Lady Vols: Tennessee (42-8) is the lone SEC team in the Top 10 of the USA Today coaches poll, ranking fourth nationally. Centerfielder Kiki Milloy is among the country’s leaders in home runs, batting over .400 with 23 HRs and 52 RBIs. Tennessee has a pair of aces in Payton Gottshall (11-2, 1.69 ERA) and Ashley Rogers (16-1, 0.72 ERA). The Lady Vols own a pair of conference tournament wins (4-0 over Florida and 7-6 over Alabama).
South Carolina in the SEC tournament
Game 1 — USC 1, Texas A&M 0 … (8 inn.): Centerfielder Riley Blampied drove in the game’s only run Wednesday. Gobourne struck out six batters in 5.1 innings of relief to earn the win. Left-fielder Marissa Gonzalez made a game-saving catch in the 8th inning.
Game 2 — USC 2, Georgia 1 … (8 inn.): Brooke Blankenship delivered the game-winning RBI single in the top of the 8th inning Friday. Gobourne again worked in relief, striking out eight in 5.0 innings for the victory. Gonzalez made a another game-saving catch.
Game 3 — USC 3, Auburn 2: A two-run home run from fifth-year senior Jordan Fabian in the top of the 7th inning proved to be the game-winner for the Gamecocks. Gobourne, USC’s third pitcher of the day, struck out six in 3.1 innings to earn another win.