Reid Morgan, Gamecocks blank No. 15 Auburn to even SEC series
By the time the baseball came to a halt after rattling around the bullpen in left-center field, Ian Jenkins was halfway to third base. South Carolina, in desperate need of a win, was wasting no time Saturday afternoon.
The Gamecocks snapped a three-game losing streak with a 4-0 blanking of Auburn at Founders Park.
“We needed to win,” said USC coach Mark Kingston. “We need wins right now. There’s no moral victories here and we’ve been playing better baseball, but we’ve been losing the close games. Today, we were able to win one. And it’s something we need to build on.”
For a while, Jenkins was all the offense Carolina (17-10, 2-6 SEC) needed. The redshirt freshman’s solo home run in the second inning was just enough cushion for Reid Morgan.
Carolina’s most trusted arm delivered in a big way against the nation’s 15th-ranked team. Morgan logged an efficient seven-plus shutout innings, allowing five hits, recording four strikeouts and walking one over 96 pitches. The junior at one point retired 18 of 20 batters.
“Command of all pitches, poise, competitiveness, let his defense play,” Kingston said of Morgan’s outstanding qualities. “It’s amazing, our defense generally plays pretty well behind him because he works quick and throws strikes.
“With him, you know what you’re getting, generally, every time he takes the mound.”
It was a noteworthy performance after Morgan (3-0, 2.17 ERA) failed to get past the sixth inning in his two previous SEC starts. It was also needed due to his Auburn counterpart.
After relying on ace Tanner Burns in a 4-2 win Friday night, the Tigers brought Brooks Fuller — and his 1.62 ERA — to the mound 18 hours later. When the lefty exited after walking Jacob Olson to lead off the sixth, USC was clinging to a 1-0 lead. The advantage jumped to 4-0 by the frame’s end as the Gamecocks had their patience rewarded.
Following Olson’s walk, Luke Berryhill did the same and then Chris Cullen moved them both over with a sacrifice bunt. Brady Allen then walked to load the bases for Jenkins. A different tale from his second inning at-bat, Jenkins traded power for a weak grounder to the pitcher. But Auburn reliever Elliott Anderson air-mailed a throw to first, allowing both Berryhill and Olson to score.
A passed ball later brought Allen home, making if official: The Gamecocks scored three runs in the sixth without recording a hit.
“Obviously we’re facing a team that strikes hitters out at a pretty good rate,” Kingston said, “and the last two nights we’ve made a commitment to try to improve that on our end. And we’ve seen that.”
Auburn dropped to 21-6 (5-3 SEC). The Tigers threatened Morgan in sixth (runner stranded at third base) and seventh (runners left at first and second), but they couldn’t crack the native Texan. He exited in the eighth to a standing ovation.
“I know that we’re a family and we stick with each other through the ups and downs,” Morgan said, “and I know that any time that we’re struggling, everybody’s going to have each other’s backs. I mean, today we scrapped together four runs and the pitching staff was unreal.”
Freshman Brett Kerry allowed one hit in his two innings of relief.
Next: The series finale is set for noon, Sunday, and will be televised by the SEC Network. T.J. Shook (2-0, 2.66) will start for the Gamecocks.
This story was originally published March 30, 2019 at 4:05 PM.
