Five homers lead No. 6 South Carolina baseball to Game 1 victory at No. 4 Vanderbilt
Entering Friday’s action, No. 4 Vanderbilt had been nearly perfect in conference play, winning 11 of 12 SEC games. But the Commodores hadn’t yet faced a team of No. 6 South Carolina’s caliber.
Already the nation’s leader in home runs, the powerful Gamecocks slugged five more long balls in Game 1 at Nashville, propelling Mark Kingston’s team to a 14-6 victory.
“Great effort by us again,” Kingston said. “Winning on the road in the league is very tough, especially against a team in the top 5. So I’m very pleased with our effort, pitching, offense, defense.”
USC (30-4, 10-2 SEC) set the tone early, with sophomore catcher Cole Messina hitting a two-run bomb off starter Bryce Cunningham in the top of the first — one of two homers for Messina on the night.
The Commodores (27-7, 11-2) punched back against USC right-hander Will Sanders an inning later. Making his second start since USC skipped the ace’s turn at Mississippi State, Sanders allowed four runs on three hits in the second inning. But Sanders (3-1) was able to settle down from there, throwing three more scoreless frames as the USC offense exploded in support of him.
Sophomore infielder Michael Braswell tied the game at 4-4 with a solo home run in the fifth — his first of the season — then freshman breakout star Ethan Petry hit his 17th homer of the year to give USC a 5-4 lead in the next inning.
The Gamecocks put up crooked numbers in consecutive innings against the Vanderbilt bullpen, tagging the Commodores for a five-run sixth and a four-run seventh. The offensive production wasn’t exclusive to the long ball, as the Gamecocks showcased their versatility and balance. In one sequence in the sixth inning, USC scored two runs on a triple by Braswell, then scored him on a squeeze bunt by nine-hole hitter Evan Stone.
Vanderbilt is the second-straight top 5 opponent the Gamecocks have played after they split a rain-shortened series against No. 1 LSU last weekend. Ranked No. 3 in the RPI, USC is fortifying its case as a projected national seed in the postseason with wins against the Tigers and Vandy.
Next four USC baseball games
Saturday: at No. 4 Vanderbilt, 3 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Sunday: at No. 4 Vanderbilt, 2 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Tuesday: vs. Charleston Southern, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Thursday: vs. Florida, 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
This story was originally published April 14, 2023 at 9:49 PM.
