North Florida upsets No. 6 South Carolina baseball in midweek stunner. What went wrong
The South Carolina baseball team has reached a new low.
Coming off back-to-back SEC series losses against Auburn and Kentucky, the No. 6 Gamecocks hosted North Florida on Tuesday night for what should’ve been a get-right game.
Instead, the Gamecocks (36-12, 14-9 SEC) suffered their worst lost this season, losing 8-5 to the Ospreys — ranked No. 212 in the RPI. Prior to Tuesday’s game, the Gamecocks had gone 19-0 against quadrant three and quadrant four RPI teams and had only lost one other midweek game, on the road against Charlotte.
“We’re taking body blows right now, but it happens to everybody at some point,” head coach Mark Kingston said. “It just does, and we know the reasons why we’re struggling. We’re not at full strength. So until we are, we just have to keep fighting.
“The guys are doing the best they can. We need to continue to support them because they’re doing the best they can to win without some superstar players. And it’s not a lack of effort. It’s not a lack of want-to. Sometimes you just don’t play well enough, but the morale is good.”
Here’s what went wrong in USC’s loss.
Early pitching struggles
Other than injuries, the biggest problem plaguing the Gamecocks of late is their starting pitching. Over the last two SEC series, Gamecock starters have posted a combined 9.87 ERA.
USC didn’t stick with just one starting pitcher on Tuesday, instead relying on a whole-staff approach. However, those pitchers still put the Gamecocks in an early hole.
Seldom-used right-hander Dylan Eskew was the key culprit, entering the game in the second inning behind starter James Hicks and coming apart at the seams in the third. The Ospreys scored five runs on six hits in the third to take a 5-1 lead, forcing the USC offense to play catchup yet again.
Self-inflicted wounds
The top of the fifth inning was a perfect encapsulation of what’s going wrong for USC.
The Gamecocks had just scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut the deficit to one run, and almost immediately USC helped the Ospreys punch back.
Reliever Austin Williamson issued a leadoff walk. Then catcher Cole Messina — playing at third base due to USC’s infield injuries — misplayed a ball at the hot corner and threw the ball over first baseman Gavin Casas’ head for an error. After an RBI single, UNF opted to sacrifice bunt — yet no one on USC covered first base and everyone was safe. Those kinds of mistakes have added up in recent games and are a key reason why USC has lost six of its last eight.
Injuries to infielders Talmadge LeCroy, Braylen Wimmer and Will McGillis have undoubtedly shaken up USC’s defensive alignment. Tuesday’s group was a little more normal with LeCroy (hamstring) back, although he played second base instead of his usual third.
Missed offensive opportunities
It wouldn’t be fair to say the Gamecocks struggled offensively with five runs on 10 hits. However, USC had opportunities to cash in on bigger innings and left several runs on the board.
For a string of five straight innings from the fourth through the seventh, the Gamecocks had the potential tying runs on base and weren’t able to bring them home.
Though USC scored three runs in the fourth to cut the deficit to one run, Messina struck out to leave the bases loaded. In the fifth, USC loaded the bases again and managed only a sacrifice fly out of it. An inning-ending double play ball neutralized a potential rally in the sixth. Then the Gamecocks stranded the bases loaded in both the seventh and eighth.
In all, USC left 15 men on base and batted just 4-for-19 (.211) with runners in scoring position.
Next four USC baseball games
Friday: at Arkansas, 7:30 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Saturday: at Arkansas, 7:00 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Sunday: at Arkansas, 3:00 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Tuesday: vs. Charlotte, 7:00 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
This story was originally published May 9, 2023 at 9:33 PM.
