Brady Allen homers twice, Will Sanders shines as Gamecocks clinch series at Georgia
South Carolina center fielder Brady Allen is one of the masterminds behind the team’s dugout scythe — a prop passed off to every Gamecock who hits a home run.
Last weekend at Founders Park, the scythe was notably missing, with Allen saying the team couldn’t find it. The Gamecocks managed just fine without the good-luck charm, sweeping the then-No. 5 Florida Gators in a signature SEC series win.
This weekend on the road at Georgia, USC debuted a new-and-improved scythe — and Allen and the Gamecocks made frequent use of it. Matched up against hard-throwing Georgia right-hander Jonathan Cannon, Allen homered on the very first pitch of Sunday’s rubber match, then added a two-run shot in the fifth inning to break the game open.
The red-hot No. 14 Gamecocks (19-7, 6-3 SEC) defeated the Bulldogs 5-1 to claim their second straight SEC series win.
“That was a really talented guy they threw on the mound today, another mid-90s (miles per hour) guy ... and so I thought having Brady lead off and just go first pitch and hit the ball out of the ballpark really gave us a ton of momentum,” said head coach Mark Kingston, who was holding the scythe himself in the Foley Field dugout after the game.
After faltering late in Friday’s night 5-3 series-opening loss, the USC offense exploded with four home runs in Saturday’s 13-7 win and added three more homers in Sunday’s finale, with catcher Colin Burgess homering alongside Allen.
That run support was more than enough for South Carolina freshman right-hander Will Sanders, who dazzled in his second career Sunday start for the Gamecocks.
The 6-foot-6 right-hander worked 93-95 mph with his fastball, commanding it on both sides of the plate and mixing in both a mid-80s changeup and slider. Sanders said after the game that he didn’t feel like his slider was at its sharpest, but he was able to mix up his pitches just enough to keep the Bulldogs off balance.
“You just got to find what works and stick with it,” Sanders said. “Sometimes you’re not gonna have everything you need, and you just got to keep battling and competing, and luckily our team was just lights-out hitting ... and Brady Allen with the leadoff home run, it was great for the energy, great for the team and trying to give my team a chance to win.”
Sanders scattered eight hits, walked none and struck out four in eight economical innings, allowing just one earned run. He attempted to throw a complete game, opening the ninth inning under 90 pitches for the game, but after a hit batter and a double, he was pulled in favor of lefty Julian Bosnic.
Bosnic opened the season as USC’s Sunday starter, but after he struggled to provide length on the mound, Sanders slid into the role last weekend. On Sunday, Bosnic bailed Sanders out of his ninth-inning jam, throwing a scoreless inning to earn the save.
The second straight series win comes after the Gamecocks lost back-to-back road series at Texas and at Vanderbilt. Kingston said Sunday that the team has grown from those experiences.
“I just think it continues to show the progress and the improvement of our team,” Kingston said. “From Texas to Vanderbilt to here, we’re getting better every week and every time we go on the road.”
▪ Clemson wins series: Clemson (14-11, 8-7 ACC) took two of three games against N.C. State, winning the weekend series played in Raleigh. The Tigers won Friday and Saturday 10-6 and 9-3, respectively. N.C. State won the finale 9-5 Sunday. Clemson returns to action with a home series against Virginia that starts Friday.
Next USC baseball game
Who: No. 14 South Carolina (19-7, 6-3 SEC) vs. North Carolina (14-12, 9-9)
When: Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Where: Truist Field in Charlotte
Watch: SEC Network
This story was originally published April 4, 2021 at 3:48 PM.
