Gamecocks bats go silent as Bulldogs' series sweep ends in shutout
Georgia shut out and swept South Carolina on Sunday to send the Gamecocks to the bottom of the SEC.
Georgia’s 3-0 win clinched the Bulldogs’ first sweep of South Carolina since 2008. This was the Gamecocks’ first shutout loss of the season. Carolina’s 1-5 start to the conference schedule is its worst since 2012. That year the Gamecocks recovered to win 18 games in league play and fall in the championship series of the 2012 College World Series.
“This is tough right now for us,” South Carolina coach Mark Kingston said Sunday. “Pitching was great for us today. Defense was great. This was a tough day to hit. You had to figure out a way to scratch out some runs, and we didn’t do that. There are no magic buttons. The guys are doing the right things. It is very frustrating. When you do the right things and don’t get the results it is frustrating.”
Carolina pitching only allowed three Bulldog hits. But a costly fourth inning gave Georgia a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
Starting pitcher Ridge Chapman, who had not allowed a hit through three innings, had multiple unforced errors that proved costly on a day where hits and runs were scarce. Chapman walked Keegan McGovern, who then advanced to second base on the pitcher’s fourth wild pitch of the season.
Georgia’s first hit of the game came next as Micheal Curry doubled home McGovern to put the Bulldogs on the board. Chapman’s second wild pitch of the inning moved Curry to third, where the Bulldogs drove him home on a sacrifice fly to left field to give UGA a 2-0 lead.
“We helped them with a couple of walks and wild pitches,” Kingston added.
Carolina outhit the Bulldogs in a game that ended with just seven total hits.
“We’ve got to find ways to get guys on,” USC third baseman Jonah Bride said. “Their pitcher was all right. We hit a couple of balls hard, but that doesn’t do it.”
Georgia added a run in the seventh with another sacrifice fly. Carolina threatened in the eighth after back-to-back hits with two men down, but couldn’t find answers after that. The Bulldogs moved into a tie for first place in the SEC with Vanderbilt. It is the best start for UGA since 2002.
Injuries played havoc with the Gamecocks’ starting lineup over the weekend. On Sunday, for the third game in a row, Carolina juggled its starters. LT Tolbert slid from second base to short stop and from cleanup to third in the lineup. Left fielder Carlos Cortes moved from second in the batting lineup to seventh. Meanwhile, second baseman Justin Row made his 10th start of the season.
“Not having two of your best guys in there makes a difference, but we aren’t making excuses,” Kingston said.
The Gamecocks host Davidson on Tuesday ahead of a Thursday-Friday-Saturday series against Tennessee at Founders Park.
This story was originally published March 25, 2018 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Gamecocks bats go silent as Bulldogs' series sweep ends in shutout."