Lone Star blues: South Carolina swept by Texas in final series before SEC play
South Carolina baseball arrived in Texas this weekend red hot, boasting 11 consecutive wins and a top-15 ranking for the first time since 2018.
The Gamecocks will leave the Lone Star State significantly cooled off after being swept by the No. 19 Longhorns, falling 8-5 in the series finale Sunday.
“Disappointed with the weekend, the results obviously,” coach Mark Kingston told a team spokesman. “But we learned a lot about this team that we can take forward, both good and bad. We learned a lot about this team and this squad, so we’ll make whatever adjustments we feel like we need to make and we’ll be better for having played this weekend.”
USC’s lineup wasn’t able to take advantage of solid starting pitching in the series’ first two games. In the series finale, redshirt sophomore Julian Bosnic struggled with command early and wasn’t helped by some sloppy defense.
The Longhorns went up in the very first inning after Bosnic hit outfielder Eric Kennedy. Kennedy promptly stole second and then advanced to third when junior catcher Wes Clarke’s throw sailed into center field and sophomore Braylen Wimmer mishandled the backup, before an RBI single plated him.
Bosnic created more trouble for himself in the second, walking the first two batters and making an error on a sacrifice bunt to load the bases, before a sacrifice fly scored another run. And in third, Texas scored twice more with a two-out rally — redshirt freshman shortstop Trey Faltine walked, then stole second in a rundown off a pickoff attempt when the throw was wide. Redshirt sophomore Ivan Melendez plated him with a double, then came around to score himself on a single.
Bosnic’s outing came to a close early in the fourth, when another error and bunt single put two men aboard. He was replaced by redshirt junior Andrew Peters, but Texas continued to score, lacing three hits in the next four at-bats to plate four more runs.
While the errors and free passes hurt, the Gamecock offense wasn’t able to produce all that much in its own right. USC stranded 13 runners and went just 6 for 24 at the plate with runners on Sunday, and on the weekend, the Gamecocks left 25 runners on base and hit .148 with runners in scoring position.
Two of the runs USC scored Sunday came off wild pitches from Texas. Beyond that, Clarke slammed his ninth home run of the year, a solo shot to left field in the third inning, and Wimmer posted a career-best 4 for 4 performance with an RBI single in the ninth.
NEXT USC BASEBALL GAME
Who: No. 12 South Carolina vs. Davidson
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Founders Park
Watch: Streaming online on SEC Network Plus via WatchESPN
More results
▪ College softball: No. 19 Arkansas swept the series this weekend against No. 20 South Carolina at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field. USC’s Mackenzie Boesel (59) broke Tina Plew’s school record for doubles. The Gamecocks (13-6, 0-3 SEC) continue their homestand with a doubleheader Tuesday against Gardner-Webb.
▪ College baseball: North Carolina scored five runs in the first inning Sunday to beat Clemson 5-3 at UNC’s Boshamer Stadium and sweep the weekend series. The Tigers (5-8, 1-5 ACC) return home to face Georgia State at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
This story was originally published March 14, 2021 at 3:48 PM.
