Role reversal: South Carolina bounces back from ugly loss to crush Kentucky
Less than 24 hours removed from its worst loss of the year, South Carolina put together its best effort of the season, crushing Kentucky, 15-1, for its first road win.
The Gamecocks (18-13, 5-6 SEC) rode three long balls from three batters and a sterling outing from sophomore right-hander Cody Morris to the victory on a cold day in Lexington, never trailing against the No. 9 Wildcats (21-10, 4-7 SEC).
It could hardly have been more different from Friday's matchup, in which UK pounced on USC junior righty Adam Hill and pounded the Gamecocks all night long for a 14-1 result, the largest margin of defeat for South Carolina all year.
After the loss, Gamecock coach Mark Kingston hinted at changes to the lineup, and he delivered with a revamped look starting at the top, with left fielder Carlos Cortes hitting leadoff. Senior catcher Hunter Taylor and freshman center fielder Kyle Jacobsen both started after coming off the bench the day before, and seniors Justin Row and Jonah Bride switched back to their original positions of second and third base, respectively, with Bride moving to the cleanup spot.
It all added up to USC's biggest margin of victory on the year and a tie for its largest offensive output on the year. The 14-run margin of victory was South Carolina's largest in conference play since 2013.
"I saw a team that came out here and answered the bell. I challenged them and they answered the bell," Kingston told John Whittle of The Big Spur.
Exceeding Kentucky's offensive performance on Friday, USC put up four innings with multiple runs, starting with a six-run third that staked the team to a 7-0 lead. Taylor and Bride both launched home runs in that frame, while junior shortstop LT Tolbert tacked on another long ball to lead off the fifth.
Junior right fielder Jacob Olson added a two-run double in the fifth to make the score 10-0. In the sixth, a wild pitch and an RBI fielder's choice from senior first baseman Matt Williams added two more, and the scoring wrapped up in the eighth, as Williams and Taylor smacked an RBI single and double, respectively.
Morris, meanwhile struck out eight of the first nine batters he retired and tied a career high with 10 Ks while surrendering just one run, a home run in the bottom of the third. Sophomore reliever Sawyer Bridges then came in and threw three one-hit innings to collect the save.
"Cody set the tone for us. He pounded the strike zone, and he really dominated a really good offensive team," Kingston said.
THREE POINTS
Star of the game: Hunter Taylor, who finished 3-4 at the plate with a walk, two doubles and home run, totaling five RBIs. He drove in the game's first run and put an exclamation point on the team's six-run third inning with a deep, deep blast to left field.
Play of the game: Jonah Bride's three-run home run in the third inning extended his hit streak to a team-high 10 games, and more importantly, it marked a true breakthrough for the Gamecocks offense, which was almost completely missing in action against UNC and the first game against Kentucky.
Stat of the game: The 27-run swing between Friday and Saturday was made possible by all nine Gamecock batters reaching base and eight extra base hits, five of them doubles, a season-high for USC.
NEXT
Who: South Carolina (18-13) vs. No. 9 Kentucky (21-10), Game 3
When: 2 p.m. Sunday, April 8
Where: Cliff Hagan Stadium, Lexington, Kentucky
Watch: ESPNU
Listen: 107.5 FM in Columbia, South Carolina
Probable pitchers: South Carolina — Jr. RHP Ridge Chapman (1-3, 4.21 ERA); Kentucky — Jr. RHP Justin Lewis (5-2, 5.49 ERA)
This story was originally published April 7, 2018 at 9:08 PM with the headline "Role reversal: South Carolina bounces back from ugly loss to crush Kentucky."