South Carolina’s bats stay hot to crush The Citadel for fifth win in a row
South Carolina baseball’s offense is heating up just in time for the start of SEC play, as the Gamecocks crushed The Citadel 10-1 on Tuesday in their final tune-up before conference play starts this weekend against Tennessee.
Junior left fielder Andrew Eyster got things going at Founders Park with a solo home run in the second inning, and USC proceeded to put up double-digit runs for the third time in four games. Carolina has also won five games in a row, its longest streak of the young season.
“I mean, we’re a really balanced lineup. I think we have a really good mix of power guys, speed guys and if do what we did tonight, getting on base, driving guys in, I think we will be right at the top with everybody,” junior center fielder Noah Myers said.
Stars of the game
In the Gamecocks’ series finale against Cornell, Myers went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, a sour ending to a mostly successful weekend for him in which he recorded three runs, two RBIs and three walks. On Tuesday, though, he was consistently in the mix for the Gamecocks.
It started in the third inning, when he followed senior shortstop George Callil, who was hit by a pitch, with a bunt single. After the pair advanced on a sacrifice bunt, they came around to score on soft line drive single to left field from sophomore right fielder Brady Allen.
Myers scored again in the fifth after singling when junior second baseman Jeff Heinrich drilled a double to the right-center field gap, then drove a run in in the sixth with a single that ricocheted off the pitcher’s leg into left field to plate Callil, who had reached after being hit by another pitch.
Finally, he capped the night with a bases-loaded single to left in the eighth inning, scoring two more runs. His 4-for-4, 3-RBI night established a new career best for hits and runs driven in.
“That an elite night — he actually had a walk too, so he was on base five times to night. That’s what we asked him to do. He had a tough day on Sunday. But we wanted to show confidence in him and put him back in the leadoff spot today, and he rewarded us for it,” coach Mark Kingston said.
Unlike Myers, Brady Allen entered Tuesday on a hot streak, going 4-for-7 in his last two games. He kept that up with the two-RBI single in the fifth, as well as a towering solo home run that preceded Myers in the eighth inning.
Beyond the box score
South Carolina had a staff day on the mound, trotting out seven pitchers to go nine innings. There were some control issues, with six walks and only two 1-2-3 innings, but the Gamecocks also got 12 strikeouts and stranded nine runners.
And after starter Parker Coyne gave up a triple, RBI single and double in the first inning, the bullpen allowed just one hit the rest of the way, continuing its mini-resurgence after a rough start to the season.
“What I was most encouraged by is that team’s a tough matchup, they have five lefties in their lineup,” Kingston said. “And typically, that’s something we have struggled with, so we were able to try to manage it today and pitch certain guys in certain innings. So we used three lefties tonight, and they all did pretty well, so I think that’s a nice development for us. It’s something we need as a program. Just really pleased with how we were able to mix and match.”
Key inning
With five different scoring innings, the Gamecock offense didn’t load up on any particular frame. But the three-run fifth inning took the lead from narrow to comfortable — after Myers scored on a Heinrich’s double, freshman third baseman Brennan Milone launched a two-run home run to deep center field, his first long ball as a Gamecock.
“It was a fastball right down the middle,” Heinrich said. “I was kind of struggling there for a little bit, I wasn’t on time, but I made sure that I was on time for the fastball, and I really kept my schnoz down on it and I got a good swing on it,” Milone said.
When do the Gamecocks play next?
Who: South Carolina (12-4) vs. No. 23 Tennessee (15-2)
When: 7 p.m. Friday, March 13
4 p.m. Saturday, March 14
1:30 p.m. Sunday, March 15
Where: Founders Park
Watch: Streaming online on SEC Network Plus
Listen: 107.5 FM in Columbia area
This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 10:02 PM.
