Gamecocks rally late to finish off opening weekend sweep of Dayton
When COVID-19 abruptly ended the 2020 baseball season, South Carolina had won five straight games. The Gamecocks were clicking — perhaps on the cusp of something special.
USC players and coaches have talked about the devastation they felt when the pandemic forced them to stop playing last March. The Gamecocks never had the chance to see just how far they could go.
After a yearlong wait, the Gamecocks finally had another opportunity to put their talent on display in college baseball’s opening weekend. Hosting the Dayton Flyers, No. 18 South Carolina showed exactly why it’s considered one of the top-25 teams in the country.
On Sunday afternoon at Founders Park, the Gamecocks defeated Dayton, 5-1, to put the finishing touches on a three-game sweep in which they outscored the Flyers, 29-7.
“It was nine months getting to this weekend,” USC coach Mark Kingston said. “We had a good weekend. We’re 3-0, and now this is a chance to exhale a little bit, take stock and continue to push forward.”
Power defined much of USC’s opening weekend, both at the plate and on the mound.
Redshirt junior ace Thomas Farr lit up the radar guns of the bevy of scouts in attendance when he touched 97 miles per hour and sat around 94 mph in Friday’s 12-1 win. The next day, designated hitter Wes Clarke hit his second and third home runs of the weekend in yet another 12-run USC slugfest.
Sunday was more of a pitcher’s duel.
Making his first career start, redshirt sophomore left-hander Julian Bosnic set a USC program record with eight consecutive strikeouts, although his command would eventually elude him and he’d leave the game after three straight walks in the fourth inning. Bosnic finished with nine strikeouts and no hits allowed, but he also walked four batters and hit another, giving up one earned run.
“Let’s not miss the fact that Bosnic had nine strikeouts in 3.1 innings,” Kingston said. “He was dealing with a blister, so that’s why he came out of the game. It was starting to bother him a little bit more in that inning when he walked some guys.”
On the other side, 6-foot-8 Dayton right-hander Cole Pletka scattered five hits and allowed one unearned run in six innings before the Dayton bullpen imploded behind him.
The Gamecocks churned through six Dayton pitchers in the two innings after Pletka left the game before finally breaking through in the eighth.
Senior shortstop George Callil stroked a one-out RBI double to right field to give the Gamecocks a one-run lead. Four batters later, first baseman David Mendham ripped a three-run, two-out double to expand the lead to 5-1.
“It’s been a long eight months working together,” Callil said. “We’ve had a lot of time away from the game, and we kind of bonded over that and we’ve been working hard.
“And I think the results showed this past weekend that we have the talent to be one of the top teams in the country this year. We just have to continue to trust ourselves.
USC softball opens 2-1
After inclement weather canceled the Carolina Classic, the South Carolina softball team had to wait an extra week to start its season.
Traveling to another tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, the Gamecocks went 2-1 on the weekend, splitting two games with Auburn and defeating Jacksonville University, 10-0.
The Gamecocks held off a late rally from Auburn on Sunday to win, 6-5. Infielder Mackenzie Boesel homered, doubled and drove in two runs.
Next USC baseball game
▪ Who: South Carolina vs. Winthrop
▪ When: 4 p.m. Tuesday
▪ Where: Founders Park
▪ Watch: Streaming online on SEC Network Plus via WatchESPN
This story was originally published February 21, 2021 at 3:36 PM.
