Georgia snaps Gamecocks’ win streak, takes series opener
On a cold night in Athens, South Carolina played with fire.
Eventually, the Gamecocks got burned, as the pitching staff for USC (17-7, 4-3 SEC) bent and then broke in a 5-3 loss to Georgia (18-7, 3-4 SEC) on Friday night at Foley Field. The Bulldogs’ victory snapped the Gamecocks’ win streak at six.
After leading for much of the night, the dam finally broke for the Gamecocks in the seventh. Following a leadoff double from Georgia freshman catcher Fernando Gonzalez, South Carolina brought in junior right-hander Andrew Peters.
A sacrifice bunt and a walk greeted Peters. Georgia junior second baseman Josh McAllister then hit a dribbler in front of the plate. Peters (2-1) flipped to the catcher Colin Burgess in an attempt to nail Georgia pinch runner Josh Stinson, who instead scrambled safely back to third to load the bases.
Senior Bulldog left fielder Riley King then squibbed a ground ball off the end of the bat toward the right side of the infield. It trickled into the outfield, scoring two Georgia runs to give the Bulldogs a lead they never relinquished at 4-3.
“Disappointed we came up short,” USC coach Mark Kingston said. “Both teams pitched well. We just weren’t quite as sharp out of the bullpen or on defense late in the game, and that was the difference.”
USC starter Thomas Farr struck out seven and allowed two earned runs in 5.2 innings.
South Carolina grabbed an early lead on a 3-run home run from junior first baseman David Mendham, his second long ball of the year. A walk and a hit batter preceded the bomb, staking the Gamecocks to the advantage.
But the pitching staff never fully controlled the game. South Carolina gave up a hit in every inning of the contest, allowing a solo home run to junior Georgia outfielder Connor Tate in the fourth and an RBI single to freshman designated hitter Corey Collins in the sixth.
An unearned run thanks to a single, wild pitch and an error on Gamecock shortstop George Calill gave the Bulldogs an insurance run in the eighth.
After striking the first blow, the Gamecock offense went cold and never found a way to add on to the lead. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, kept chipping away and eventually found themselves able to come from behind and take the first game of the weekend series.
“This team will be ready to go. They’ll bounce back,” Kingston said. “They fight. They always do. No concerns about that.”
South Carolina baseball schedule
Who: South Carolina at Georgia
Where: Foley Field in Athens
When: 2 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday
Watch: Games will be streamed on SEC Network Plus
This story was originally published April 2, 2021 at 9:28 PM.