USC’s bats power the Gamecocks to Game 1 win over red-hot Kentucky
With only two weekends remaining in the regular season, the South Carolina baseball team is in dangerous territory. The team’s postseason hopes are fading, and even a berth in the SEC tournament could be at stake.
On Friday, USC’s hitters — namely middle-of-the-order bats Josiah Sightler and Andrew Eyster — did their best to ensure the Gamecocks still have a playoff pulse.
Both Sightler and Eyster homered in the 11-3 series-opening win over Kentucky on Friday night, creating a little more distance between the Gamecocks (25-23, 11-14 SEC) and the Wildcats (26-22, 9-16) in the SEC standings.
That separation is important, as only 12 of the SEC’s 14 teams will make the trip to the SEC tournament in Hoover, Alabama in two weeks. As of now, USC leads a cluster of teams in the bottom of the SEC standings, including the Wildcats, but a poor finish to the season could spell trouble.
Coming off a Tuesday night loss to USC Upstate — yet another debilitating blow to USC’s postseason resume — the Gamecocks seemingly let out some frustration at the plate Friday. Eyster started the scoring with a two-out single in the first inning, while Sightler broke the game open an inning later with a three-run home run. Other standouts included freshman shortstop Michael Braswell, who went 4-for-4 and hit a three-run double, and third baseman Jalen Vasquez, who hit his first career home run.
That offensive success continues a recent trend of production at the plate for the Gamecocks, who hit .348 with seven homers and 40 hits in three games last weekend at Texas A&M. But the team’s lack of pitching depth kept the Gamecocks from finishing off the Aggies at College Station, where USC lost two of three.
USC was much stronger on the mound Friday. Right-hander Brett Thomas allowed just two runs — one earned — in four innings to set the tone, while freshman Cade Austin threw three scoreless innings behind him.
The Wildcats came to Columbia red-hot, after upsetting No. 1 Tennessee for a series win last weekend. But much like the Gamecocks, Kentucky is fighting for a postseason berth. Kentucky slots at No. 57 in the RPI, compared to No. 68 for the Gamecocks. Neither team made the cut for D1 Baseball’s most recent NCAA tournament projections.
South Carolina vs Kentucky, Game 2
The Gamecocks led Saturday’s game 4-0 through six innings. The game did not end in time for this edition. Read about it now at thestate.com/sports.
USC baseball remaining schedule
This story was originally published May 13, 2022 at 10:16 PM.
