USC Gamecocks bats go cold in loss in SEC opener at No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee ace Chase Burns was in complete control.
A week after winning a series against then-No. 1 Texas, the South Carolina baseball team (10-7, 0-1 SEC) ran into a buzz saw in Friday’s SEC opener at No. 7 Tennessee (17-1, 1-0). USC’s bats couldn’t figure out Burns as the talented freshman pitched the Volunteers to a 8-3 win.
Throwing a fastball that touched 94 miles per hour and pairing it with a hard swing-and-miss slider, Burns diced through the Gamecocks lineup, striking out nine and allowing just two hits and two walks in 6.2 innings. The lone run he allowed was scored on a walk, wild pitch and RBI groundout by USC veteran Josiah Sightler.
The Gamecocks offense had better success against the Tennessee bullpen, tallying four hits and two runs off of lefty reliever Kirby Connell in the ninth, but the USC rally came too late.
The performance by Burns was more than enough for the Tennessee offense, which came into the game leading the country in batting average (.353), home runs (46) and runs per game (12). The Vols added four homers to that national lead Friday, with homers by second baseman Jorel Ortega, shortstop Cortland Lawson, first baseman Luc Lipcius and catcher Evan Russell putting the game out of reach.
The Gamecocks’ pitching staff has been decimated by injuries this season, with starter James Hicks lost for the season and projected Saturday starter Julian Bosnic yet to pitch this season with a flexor strain in his left arm. Appalachian State transfer Noah Hall made his third start of the season Friday and all things considered delivered a quality outing, allowing four runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings.
Perhaps most importantly, Hall’s 106 pitches helped preserve USC’s bullpen arms for the rest of the weekend. Ace Will Sanders will start for the Gamecocks on Saturday after last weekend’s severe weather resulted in a doubleheader and shuffling of the rotation.
This story was originally published March 18, 2022 at 9:24 PM.
