Gamecocks split doubleheader at home with No. 1 Arkansas
South Carolina baseball needed something to get going in a major way. Mired in an offensive funk, the No. 11 Gamecocks were being shut out and trailing No. 1 Arkansas by two runs Friday — and in danger of losing their first SEC series in a month.
Then, in the sixth inning, USC got a little boost. And then another. And then another. And by the time the frame finally ended, the Gamecocks had added it all together for a major rally. From there, they cruised to a 6-2, series-equalizing victory at Founders Park.
Carolina, who entered the weekend ranked 10th nationally in home runs per game but just 128th in on-base percentage, used some uncharacteristic small ball to mount their comeback.
Sophomore second baseman Braylen Wimmer kicked things off after the seventh inning stretch with a walk. Junior DH Wes Clarke followed with a single up the middle, beating the shift against him, and junior first baseman David Mendham walked the bases full. Senior outfielder Andrew Eyster then put the Gamecocks on the board with an RBI single to left.
Junior outfielder Josiah Sightler walked to push another run across and tie the game, and sophomore catcher Colin Burgess lofted a sacrifice fly to right to put USC up. Senior shortstop George Callil then cracked an RBI single to tack on an insurance run.
Two more insurance runs scored in the eighth, as Sightler doubled, Burgess drove him in with a single and then Burgess scored off a single from third baseman Michael Robinson.
All told, the Gamecocks’ offensive explosion reached eight hits and six runs in the final three innings. In the previous 14 innings in the series, USC had just three hits and one run.
Those late runs also ensured another solid performance from the Carolina pitching staff didn’t go to waste. While starter Brannon Jordan struggled some with a high pitch count, he only gave up one earned run in 4 2/3 innings, a solo home run to Arkansas third baseman Cullen Smith in the second inning.
The Razorbacks tacked on another run in the fifth with a little small ball of their own, first loading the bases without having the ball leave the infield thanks to an infield single, fielding error at second and a walk. Cleanup hitter Brady Slavens then lofted a sacrifice fly to right field.
But after Jordan departed, the Gamecock bullpen combo of Andrew Peters and Brett Kerry held one of the nation’s top lineups to just one hit and one walk over the final 4 1/3 innings.
GAME 2
South Carolina baseball’s offense made a brief but very active appearance Friday afternoon, boosting the Gamecocks to a win in the first half of a doubleheader against No. 1 Arkansas.
But by the time night fell at Founders Park, No. 11 USC’s bats went quiet, and with that went any chance the Gamecocks had of nabbing a series win over the top-ranked Razorbacks, as they fell 5-1 in the nightcap and series finale.
Going against Arkansas’ top starting pitcher by ERA, junior lefthander Patrick Wicklander, South Carolina managed just two hits across seven innings. By contrast, the Gamecocks had produced eight hits in the final three innings of Friday’s afternoon game, a 6-2 victory.
The only run USC got in the night game came off a monster solo home run from junior outfielder Brady Allen in the third inning, as he unloaded on a 1-2 offering and sent it 430 feet, over the concourse in left field and under the videoboard. That blast came shortly before sunset at 8:02 p.m. — after that, the Gamecocks didn’t get another hit.
Other than that though, Carolina got a runner to second base just once and swung freely and often against Wicklander and reliever Kevin Kopps, who combined to throw just 108 pitches, with more than 74% going for strikes. Together, Wicklander and Kopps combined for 11 strikeouts and no walks.
On the mound for South Carolina, freshman Will Sanders picked up only his second loss of the season and his first as a starter. After breezing through the first two innings in perfect fashion, he ran into trouble in the third, giving up back-to-back-to-back singles to lead off the frame and let one run in. With runners on first and third, a grounder to second turned into a fielder’s choice and scored another run.
After Allen’s homer, the Razorbacks padded their lead in the fifth with a long ball of their own. Sanders issued a one-out walk, then bounced back with a strikeout and had Arkansas’ three-hole hitter, Cayden Wallace, down 1-2. But he then left a pitch right in the middle of the zone, and Wallace smoked it into the left field bleachers for a two-run blast.
Sanders was replaced by redshirt sophomore Julian Bosnic, who was tagged for a run in the seventh after a walk, wild pitch, groundout and fielding error.
Friday night’s loss snaps a streak of four consecutive SEC series wins for South Carolina. It also marked the first time in conference play this year that the Gamecocks lost a series finale.
This story was originally published April 23, 2021 at 5:03 PM.
