Massachusetts Returns To Action At Gamecock Invitational

University of Massachusetts Softball Game Notes & Information
Tournament	Gamecock Invitational
Dates \| Times	vs. South Alabama - Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 / 10 a.m. vs. South Carolina - Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 / 3 p.m. vs. South Carolina - Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024 / 5:30 p.m. vs. JMU - Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024 / 12:30 p.m.
Location	Columbia, S.C. (Beckham Field)
Live Stats	Live Stats
Tournament Central	Coverage/Results
Twitter	@UMassSoftball
Instagram	UMass Softball
Facebook	UMass S oftball

AMHERST, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts softball team heads to South Carolina, facing South Alabama, South Carolina and JMU from Feb. 23-24 at the Gamecock Invitational.

Last Time Out:
The Minutewomen come into the weekend after defeating Nicholls (5-4) in their first game of the Houston Classic. Massachusetts Junior Grace Cadden hit her first home run of the season in a walk-off to defeat Nicholls 2-1 on the first day of the tournament. Senior Sarah Keagy got in on the action hitting a two-run home run in their game against UTSA. Freshman Odyssey Torres extended her hitting streak to three games to end the Houston Classic, she carries the streak Gamecock Invitational.

2023 Rewind:
Massachusetts comes into 2024 after earning a 16-34 record a season ago. The Minutewomen return 13 players from the 2023 campaign including eight who played in over 30 games. At the plate, Massachusetts brings back Chloe Whitter who led the team in batting average (.315) and senior Bella Pantoja who paced the Minutemen in home runs (3) and runs batted in (24). On the rubber, Julianne Bolton comes back to Sortino Field after leading the pitching staff in innings pitched (112.0) and appearances (27.0).

Scouting The Field:

South Alabama - South Alabama enters the Gamecock Invitational after picking up a 9-1, run-rule road victory over Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday night. Olivia Lackie struck out eight and held SELA's offense to just four hits and only allowed an unearned run. Sasha Willems is batting .441 this spring and has driven in eight runs and scored six, while catching all 66 innings behind the plate.

South Carolina - South Carolina enters the tournament after a run-rule victory over their in-state foe Furman last Wednesday night 8-0. Aniyah Black led the Gamecocks at the plate going 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Reganne Bennett finished 2-for-2 to improve her average to .857 on the season.

JMU - JMU enters the weekend after closing the Weiler Orthodontics Invitational 4-0 with a 17-9 win over Lehigh and a 7-0 triumph over George Mason on Sunday at Veterans Memorial Park. JMU rattled off 13 consecutive runs and walked off the Mountain Hawks 17-9 on an inside-the-park grand slam from Kate Carrier. Alissa Humphrey threw her second complete game of the season, striking out eight to shut out George Mason.

Looking Ahead:
The Minutewomen move on to the UNCG Individual where they will face UMBC, UNC Greensboro, Charleston Southern and Merrimack from March 8-10 in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Scoreboard

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Players Mentioned

Julianne Bolton

Grace Cadden

Sarah Keagy

Bella Pantoja

Odyssey Torres

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics