South Carolina pounces on LSU early to nab SEC series win over ranked foe
South Carolina baseball coach Mark Kingston is fond of saying momentum is your next starting pitcher.
Coming off an 11-run drubbing of LSU in the first game of the series on Friday, USC had plenty of momentum on Saturday with ace Adam Hill on the mound — and didn't waste it, scoring eight runs in the first three innings en route to an 11-4 victory and series win in front of 7,982 at Founders Park.
"To me, teams that don't give in when it gets tough, the tide seems to turn for you, and I think that's what's happening now," Kingston said.
For the second day in a row, the Gamecocks (22-17, 8-9 SEC) wasted no time in taking the lead, as sophomore left fielder Carlos Cortes singled off LSU freshman phenom Ma'Khail Hilliard through the right side of the infield in the bottom of the first, then advanced to second on a line drive single to left field by senior first baseman Madison Stokes.
Junior shortstop LT Tolbert followed with a double to the right-center field gap, scoring Cortes and advancing Stokes to third, from where he scored on a wild pitch the next at-bat. On the same wild pitch, Tolbert moved to third base, which allowed him to score on a sacrifice fly from senior second baseman Justin Row.
USC doubled its lead in the second inning, as junior right fielder Jacob Olson and junior catcher Chris Cullen led the frame off with singles, then both came around to score on a double from Stokes, who scored himself when Tolbert followed with his second double of the game.
The Gamecocks knocked out Hilliard in the third after Row started the inning with a walk, made it to third on a double by Olson and tagged up for a run on a sacrifice fly from Cullen. Hilliard was pulled with two outs, but he picked up his final earned run of the afternoon when junior center fielder TJ Hopkins poked a single over the third baseman's shoulder, scoring Olson.
"The scouting report was for sure a big part of," the offensive success early, Stokes said. "The practices we had prior to this weekend, just really focusing on having quality at-bats. We've just been swinging the bat well ... and stayed on them, we didn't just score a couple runs and give up."
Meanwhile, Hill, who was shifted from his usual Friday night slot to make way for freshman Logan Chapman, kept the Tigers at bay despite allowing a leadoff baserunner in each of the first four innings. He finished with six shutout innings despite throwing just 56 percent of his 116 pitches for strikes, a performance Kingston called "effectively wild."
"Definitely room for improvement. I was able to make pitches when I needed to, so that's ultimately what helped us out in the end. But I definitely need to be more consistent," Hill said.
LSU snapped its scoring drought in the top of the eighth inning off reliever Parker Coyne, utilizing a double, walk, single and home run to tally four runs. South Carolina responded, however, in the bottom half of the frame, as Stokes crushed a double to the left-center gap, scoring two and giving USC double-digit runs in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
With the victory, the Gamecocks are one win away from their first series sweep of LSU since 2006, and more importantly, a .500 record in conference play. The mini-resurgence has Kingston talking of potential postseason play, an idea that seemed laughable on Tuesday, when USC lost to Presbyterian at home, 7-4.
"Regardless of the outcome (Sunday), we're in the hunt, and that's all you can ask for at this point," Kingston said. "Our season has been very uneven, but to be where we are with a chance to get within striking distance of the NCAA tournament, that's what we're going to continue to focus on making happen."
THREE POINTS
Star of the game: Senior first baseman Madison Stokes, who has continued his torrid stretch of play to go 3-5 at the plate with a pair of doubles, four RBIs and two runs.
Play of the game: In the top of the fourth inning, Hill allowed a single, then walked two batters on eight pitches to load the bases with one out and give LSU a glimmer of hope. He bounced back with two strikeouts on seven pitches to emphatically slam the door.
"Really, I was a little frustrated that I got myself into that situation, so I really tried to focus on getting back in the zone, not trying to do too much, and I was able to throw my slider pretty consistently for strikes, so I used that to get back into a little rhythm and I was able to attack the zone," Hill said.
Stat of the game: One strikeout all game for South Carolina's hitters, who entered Saturday averaging roughly seven punchouts per contest.
NEXT
Who: South Carolina (22-17, 8-9 SEC) vs. No. 19 LSU (24-16, 9-8 SEC)
When: 1:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: Founders Park
Watch: Streaming online on SEC Network Plus via WatchESPN
Listen: 107.5 FM
Probable pitchers: South Carolina — So. RHP Cody Morris (6-3, 3.61 ERA); LSU — TBA
This story was originally published April 21, 2018 at 6:53 PM with the headline "South Carolina pounces on LSU early to nab SEC series win over ranked foe."