Gamecocks thump Holy Cross to claim Opening Day victory
Before South Carolina baseball opened its 2020 season, a media member asked coach Mark Kingston about having lost his first two Opening Days with the Gamecocks.
“Thanks for reminding me,” Kingston cracked.
Kingston won’t have to answer those questions next year, though, as USC shut out Holy Cross 10-0 on a clear but slightly chilly evening Friday at Founders Park.
Coming off a disappointing 2019 in which Carolina missed the NCAA tournament and tied the program record for losses, the Gamecocks played in front of an announced 6,410 fans, their smallest Opening Day crowd since 2010. But they showcased the strong pitching and offensive firepower that Kingston hopes will take them back to the postseason.
“Feel much better than we did the first two years on Opening Night. Excited that the guys played well. They pitched and played really good defense, and so, you win a lot of games when you do that,” Kingston said.
Redshirt sophomore Carmen Mlodzinski, making his first start for the Gamecocks after missing most of last season with injury and rising to become an elite MLB draft prospect in the offseason, picked up his first win in a USC uniform since June 2018, going seven scoreless innings on 87 pitches.
“The most encouraging thing is that we asked for him to be pitch efficient and go deep into a game, and he did that. His pitch count was right about 85 is what we decided going into that game that it would be, and he got us seven innings,” Kingston said.
The 6-foot-2 right-hander hit 97 miles per hour on his first pitch, and he continued to sit in the mid-90s throughout the game while also fooling the Crusaders with his off-speed stuff, limiting them to 12 grounders against three fly balls.
“I would say just trusting my fastball is something that I’ve definitely grown on in the past year, and just being able to trust the movement and trust your defense behind you, that they’re going to make good plays like they did today,” Mlodzinski said.
Only two runners advanced past second base for Holy Cross, and Mlodzinski was backed up by solid defense that turned two double plays to help him escape what little trouble he faced.
USC’s offense, meanwhile, gave him all the support he needed in the very first inning — the Gamecocks batted around in the frame, scoring six runs and ending Crusaders starter Garret Keough’s day after just three outs.
Graduate transfer Bryant Bowen, starting at designated hitter, kicked things off by crushing a three-run home run to left field in his first at-bat as a Gamecock.
“I actually had a couple of at-bats off (Keough) last year when I was at Southern Miss, we played them,” Bowen said. “And to be real honest, it was a special moment. The hair on my arms was coming off, had some goosebumps and, you know, just a great way to set the tone.”
Senior catcher Dallas Beaver and senior shortstop George Callil added RBI hits in the first frame, and junior outfielder Andrew Eyster pushed the lead even further in the second inning, smashing a solo home run.
And freshman second baseman Braylen Wimmer, getting the start at second base after a strong slate of spring scrimmages, made several slick defensive plays to back Mlodzinski up and also smacked a two-RBI single to right field in the sixth inning to cap off the game’s scoring.
“When I told him he was going to start today, he had very little reaction, just said ‘All right, good.’ That was about it, and that’s what we’ve seen out of him,” Kingston said. “He’s an athletic, good baseball player. His defense is what kind of really won us over and pushed the edge on him getting the start tonight. And he showed you everything we’ve been seeing all spring.”
When do the Gamecocks play next?
Who: South Carolina (1-0) vs. Holy Cross (0-1)
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: Founders Park
TV: Streaming online on SEC Network Plus via WatchESPN
Radio: 107.5 FM in Columbia area
Starting pitchers: South Carolina — So. RHP Brett Kerry; Holy Cross — Jr. LHP Luke Dawson
This story was originally published February 14, 2020 at 6:53 PM.
