No. 15 South Carolina took advantage of a struggling Buccaneer’s bullpen and pulled out a high-scoring 15-2 win on Wednesday. It’s the Gamecocks’ (30-14, 11-10 SEC) second straight run-rule victory.
Overall, the Gamecocks were aggressive at the plate ending the night with 14 hits. But the pitching did its job in helping the cause as well.
Freshman left-hander Jake McCoy started the evening on the mound for the Gamecocks. As a younger arm in the Gamecocks bullpen, McCoy gave up two runs off of two hits in the first inning giving ETSU an early lead.
After McCoy’s night ended, Tyler Dean came in and gave up just one hit and no runs in one inning pitched.
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In the bottom of the first, South Carolina responded to ETSU’s two runs by scoring four runs to take the lead. Ethan Petry got the momentum started for the Gamecocks with a two-run home run sent 397 feet over the South Carolina bullpen.
The Buccaneer’s inconsistent pitchers struggled to keep up with the aggressive Gamecock bats. In 0.2 innings pitched out of relief, Tyler Fetterman gave up five hits and four runs with no strikeouts.
Similarly, Landon Crumbley gave up four runs off of three hits in just six batters faced. Throughout the game, South Carolina’s bats were dominating with 15 RBIs and four homers.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Gamecocks got down to business scoring eight runs to widen the gap. Firstly, Kennedy Jones sent one into the stands behind the left field wall for a three-run home run. He finished with four RBIs, continuing on his torrid pace from over the weekend.
Following him, Dalton Reeves crushed a ball 410 feet over the right field wall for a solo homer. After that, Cole Messina ended the inning with a three-run home run, extending the Gamecocks’ lead to 12.
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Messina had a commanding night with two hits and three RBIs. Correspondingly, Blake Jackson put up two hits scoring two runs. Reeves also had two hits with an RBI.
Overall, the South Carolina bullpen produced seven strikeouts giving up just two runs in the first inning. Garrett Gainey was responsible for three of those strikeouts in the seventh inning to seal the deal.
Up Next: The Gamecocks travel to Columbia, Missouri to take on the Missouri Tigers. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday night and the game will be available on SECN+.
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