Baylor
South Carolina
EQ Falls to No. 8 South Carolina on the Road
9/23/2016 12:00:00 AM | Equestrian
THE RUNDOWN
COLUMBIA, S.C. - No. 5 Baylor equestrian (0-1) lost its season opener to the No. 8 South Carolina Gamecocks, falling 12-6 on the road at One Wood Farm.
Despite carrying a 3-2 advantage in the flat and a 2-2 draw in horsemanship, it was a 5-0 deficit in fences and a 3-1 differential in reining that kept the Bears out of the win column in the first meet of the season.
Starting with reining, the Bears' lone point came from Charlotte Green, with Shyanne Smith forcing a draw to keep the USC advantage at 3-1 through the first discipline.
The Gamecocks blanked BU in fences, with all five USC riders exceeding 80 and the Bears averaging 69.8 across its five.
Trailing 8-1 at the break, the Bears came out strong in the flat, with Alicia Gasser, Samantha Howell, and Brittney Mirkov all earning points for BU, lifting Baylor to a 3-2 edge.
Closing with horsemanship, Kaylee Mellott and Kelsie Holman snagged two points for the Bears, with Abbi Demel drawing to give BU the 2-2 draw.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Freshman Georgia Smith made her debut for the Bears, falling in her reining matchup by just a half point, 71-70.5.
- For the first time since 2007, BU did not open its season with the annual Willis Invitational. The loss to USC snapped a seven-year season opener win streak.
STAT OF THE DAY
75.5 - the score posted in horsemanship for sophomore Kaylee Mellott, the highest mark in the discipline for either side.
WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor returns to Waco for the ninth-annual Willis Invitational, running Sep. 30-Oct. 1. The Bears have won all eight previous tournament titles.
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