STARKVILLE — Kaylea Snaer knows she needs to step up for the South Carolina softball team.
As the team leader in batting average, Snaer has to deliver when she has opportunities to drive in a run.
Snaer’s ability to follow the advice of hitting coach Calvin Beamon on Wednesday helped her make the most of her chance, as she hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning that forced extra innings and helped send South Carolina to a 7-4 victory against No. 17 Missouri in eight innings in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament at Nusz Park.
“(Beamon) was saying, just coming off from Missouri this weekend, I had some opportunities I didn’t capitalize on,” Snaer said. “He told me get up for the big times. It was just really exciting to do that for my team.”
Trailing 4-1, the junior first baseman stepped to the plate with two outs and two runners on. She took the 0-1 offering from Danielle Baumgartner and blasted it over the center-field fence to force extra innings. She was unsure if the ball was going to get out of the park and was begging for it to do so as she rounded first base.
South Carolina coach Beverly Smith wasn’t surprised Snaer delivered in the clutch.
“She’s had a great season,” Smith said. “So thrilled for her because she’s right. We talk about big players stepping up in big moments, and we needed her to do that. I think you could just see the momentum shift after she had that hit.”
After going 1-for-5 against Missouri’s Paige Lowary in two games last weekend, the Rowland Heights, California, native went 2-for-3 with a walk Wednesday. She singled to right field in the sixth. She leads the Gamecocks (36-20) with a .371 batting average, a .623 slugging percentage, and 24 doubles.
“She always comes in clutch,” junior Taylor Williams said. “I feel like her hit couldn’t have happened at a more perfect time. Kaylea has been doing this all season long, so it’s a normal thing for her to do.”
Williams hit the game-winning three-run home run in the eighth.
“We’ve been talking about playing our best ball at the end of the season,” Smith said. “All postseason competition is going to look like this. Nothing prepares for the NCAA tournament like going through the grind of the SEC.”
Playing in the SEC tournament didn’t faze Snaer because she is used to the pressure, the attention, and the meaning of every at-bat playing in one of the nation’s top leagues. She wants to continue to capitalize when the opportunities are presented.
“I feel like playing in the SEC every game is a big moment,” Snaer said. “We play on TV all year long. I told my teammates this game isn’t anything different, and it’s just stepping up and capitalizing in the moment.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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