Lead slips away for South Carolina baseball in Nashville. Vandy rallies to tie series
The No. 6 South Carolina baseball team had a top 5 series win within its grasp on Saturday.
One night after blowing out the hometown Commodores in Game 1, the Gamecocks put up four first-inning runs Saturday and chased starter Carter Holton from the game before he could record a third out.
But the Commodores weren’t going to go down quietly. Aided by four Gamecocks errors — three by third baseman Talmadge LeCroy — Vanderbilt put up three runs in the third and two runs in the fifth to jump ahead of the Gamecocks, while the Vandy bullpen shut down USC the rest of the way.
The Gamecocks (30-5, 10-3 SEC) lost 8-5 to the Commodores (28-7, 12-2) to even the series and set up a Sunday rubber game. The loss was similar to what transpired last weekend for the Gamecocks — who blew a late against No. 1 LSU in Game 2. That series ended in a 1-1 tie with rain wiping away the third game.
The USC offense did the bulk of its damage in the opening frame, with catcher Cole Messina hitting an RBI double, second baseman Michael Braswell hitting a two-run single and Evan Stone driving in a run on a bases-loaded hit by pitch.
But the Commodores took advantage of sloppy defense from the Gamecocks in the third inning and homered twice to put three runs on the board against USC starter Jack Mahoney. Relievers Chris Veach and James Hicks didn’t fare much better as Vanderbilt expanded its lead late.
With senior starter Noah Hall (back) unavailable for the second-straight weekend, the Gamecocks still have a decision to make for Sunday’s starting pitcher. Likely candidates Eli Jones, Eli Jerzembeck and Hicks have all appeared on the mound this weekend, and it’s possible USC goes with a full-staff approach.
Next four USC baseball games
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)
Friday: vs. Florida, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
This story was originally published April 15, 2023 at 5:52 PM.
