Three observations from South Carolina’s close loss to No. 17 Mississippi State
For the first time in nearly two weeks, South Carolina lost a baseball game.
The Gamecocks, which came into Friday night on a five-game winning streak, fell 5-3 to No. 17 Mississippi State (28-10, 8-8 SEC).
South Carolina (19-20, 5-11 SEC) had a chance in the ninth, putting the winning run on base with one out, but Ethan Lizama grounded out and Will Craddock stuck out to end the game.
“Unfortunately, we just couldn’t come up with the big hit,” Gamecocks coach Monte Lee said after the game. “We gave ourselves a chance, and I’m proud of the kids tonight and how they competed and kept us in the ballgame.”
Here are three observations from the game:
Lefties shine
For some reason, Founders Park turned into a left-hander’s paradise on Friday night. No, there is no short porch in right field. There was no wind helping a lefty who turned on a ball. Heck, left-handers day isn’t until August.
Adding to the lore of baseball quirks, there were five home runs hit on Friday. The first four came off the bat of a left-hander, and all landed over the right-field fence. On any night, that seems improbable, but especially so on Friday — when only seven of the 18 batters were lefties.
Mississippi State’s Gehrig Frei — a switch hitter who was batting lefty — got things started with a solo shot in the second inning. In the third, left-hander Ace Reese blasted another solo home run. And, just two batters later, lefty Reed Stallman cranked a two-run shot. The lone right-handed home-run hitter was Noah Sullivan, whose solo shot in the ninth gave the Bulldogs an insurance run.
South Carolina starter Brandon Stone allowed nine hits in nearly six innings on the mound. Only one came off the bat of a righty.
“Lefties tend to hit sinker righties (like) Stone pretty good,” Lee said. “Quite honestly, he left some balls that got too much of the plate, and they did a really good job staying on the baseball.”
If that’s not odd enough, all the Gamecocks’ runs were supplied by a left-hander. Lizama, the nine-hole hitter who hadn’t clubbed a home run all season, came through with a three-run long ball in the fifth, pulling the Gamecocks within one run. Upping the degree of difficultly: Lizama was facing Mississippi State ace Tomas Valincius (6.2 IP, 6H, 3 ER) ... who’s, of course, a lefty.
Little spark from South Carolina’s offense
If nothing else, South Carolina has proven this season that it really struggles to garner walks. The Gamecocks’ hitters, it turns out, are not prone to earning a free pass.
In USC’s last six SEC games heading into Friday, it had drawn 14 walks. During the Gamecocks’ three-game sweep of Missouri last week, they only drew two total walks ... and won every game.
That was further proof that walks don’t always equal wins. Can walking consistently help win baseball games? Well, duh — anyone whose watched “Moneyball” can tell you that. But, in lieu of walks, teams need extra-base hits to bring runners home — and South Carolina struggled with that against the Bulldogs.
The Gamecocks only managed two walks on Friday. More notable: Aside from Lizama’s three-run home run, the Gamecocks didn’t record another extra-base hit. They had seven singles, one dinger, no doubles and no triples.
“We certainly need someone —like Lizama — to step up and drive the baseball for us,” Lee said.
Even more concerning: South Carolina’s 2-, 3-, and 4-hole hitters — Patrick Evans, KJ Scobey and Talmadge LeCroy, respectively, combined to go 0 for 12 Friday night, striking out five times without drawing a single walk.
Gamecocks drop under .500
Friday was a pinch-back-to-reality moment for South Carolina baseball.
After sweeping SEC doormat Missouri last weekend and beating Davidson College on Tuesday, the Gamecocks were back to .500 for the first time since March 24. Things were headed in the right direction — and they still might be — but the Gamecocks are again facing an uphill battle to get even.
They will have to take the final two from Mississippi State this weekend to get above .500. If that doesn’t happen, South Carolina can look ahead to Tuesday’s matchup with Presbyterian and next weekend’s series at home against Kentucky.
South Carolina’s upcoming schedule
- Saturday, April 18 at 1 p.m. vs. Mississippi State (SEC Network)
- Sunday, April 19 at 1:30 p.m. vs. Mississippi State (SEC Network+)
This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 10:03 PM.
