South Carolina clinches key SEC series with time running out in the regular season
South Carolina baseball isn’t finished yet.
With their postseason hopes hanging by a thread, the Gamecocks have played their best baseball this weekend against Kentucky, winning 7-0 Saturday to clinch a desperately needed series win. USC (26-23, 12-14 SEC) will try for a sweep over the Wildcats (26-23, 9-17) on Sunday.
Five of the team’s seniors were honored prior to Saturday’s game for senior day festivities, and fittingly, it was the team’s veterans that led the Gamecocks to victory. One of those seniors, leadoff man Brandt Belk, drove in three runs and hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning. And fellow senior Andrew Eyster added a two-run single for important insurance runs in the eighth.
Meanwhile, junior right-hander Noah Hall produced an exceptional outing on the mound. The former Appalachian State pitcher has emerged as USC’s top starter during SEC play, coming into Saturday with a 3.68 ERA in 51.1 conference innings, and he continued to pitch like an ace against the Wildcats.
Using a fastball that touched 92 miles per hour and a swing-and-miss changeup, Hall sliced through the Kentucky lineup to the tune of eight scoreless innings. Hall allowed just two hits, walked three, struck out eight and thwarted the Wildcats in 105 economical pitches.
By pitching deep into the game, the Gamecocks should have a full complement of pitchers at their disposal behind sophomore Will Sanders on Sunday, and the team can use every win it can get with just one SEC series remaining in the regular season.
By taking the series over the Wildcats, the Gamecocks maintained their lead in the SEC standings and added some cushion between them and last-place teams Missouri and Mississippi State in the race for the 12-team SEC tournament in Hoover, Alabama.
Even with an SEC tournament bid seeming secure, the Gamecocks still remain outside of the NCAA tournament picture with an RPI slotting at No. 69 and could use another SEC series win against Florida on the road next weekend.
“Obviously, everyone in our locker room knows we’re in a tight spot,” Belk said. “We’re trying to make a regional and of course everyone wants to, but it’s just about going out there and being the best you can be that day. ... I think we’re doing pretty well towards the end of the season, and hopefully we’ll keep it up.”
USC baseball remaining schedule
This story was originally published May 14, 2022 at 3:05 PM.
