Adam Hill strikes out 11 in debut as USC tops Appalachian State

Adam Hill admitted he felt the pressure of the moment early Tuesday as he looked ahead to his first college start for the South Carolina baseball team.

It didn’t last long.

“There were nerves before I got out there,” Hill said. “And there were nerves when I got on the mound. But once I threw my first pitch it was just like any other game. Back to the basics, do what I do.”

Hill dominated on a chilly, overcast afternoon and struck out 11 in a 5-0 win against Appalachian State. The alum of T.L. Hanna High in Anderson needed 86 pitches to go six shutout innings and allowed two hits.

It also left his fielders standing in the cold as he kept the ball out of play.

“I don’t know what his problem was,” shortstop Marcus Mooney joked. “That’s not nice on his part.”

South Carolina (4-0) scratched out the runs it needed, though the offense hit its first hiccup of the young season. With how Hill was rolling, however, there were worse times for an off day.

“You can’t just sit on one pitch against him,” South Carolina coach Chad Holbrook said. “His breaking ball is good and hard. Has some giddy-up on his fastball. He got in a grove there for a while and had great command. When he has great command, he’s tough.

“It was a very mature performance for a freshman, and you don’t see that all the time.”

THREE POINTS

Star of the game: Can it be anyone else but Hill? He came up four strikeouts short of the team’s freshman record and didn’t allow a run.

Play of the game: Mooney’s bases-loaded deep shot that fell short of the wall and plated South Carolina’s first two runs after a dropped sacrifice fly. He joked after the game that he thought it would be a home run and asked for a show of hands in the postgame press conference to see who agreed.

Stat of the game: Five combined wild pitches, errors and hit batters were a problem for the Mountaineers (0-4). The cavalcade of miscues gave the oft-struggling program even more of an uphill climb.

OBSERVATIONS

Power outage: After getting strong hitting across the first weekend of the season, the Gamecocks’ offense posted a rather quiet day. Errors or App. State miscues played a part in the team’s first three runs, and none of USC’s hits went for extra bases.

Youth movement: Mountaineers starter Breydan Gorham’s day could have been worse making his first ever college start, but that’s been a common occurrence for his team. His team has started four freshman pitchers in the first four games.

Pressing issues: Holbrook admitted No. 4 hitter Alex Destino and second baseman DC Arendas are scuffling a little to start the season. He added Destino seems to be pressing, trying to make everything happen at once.

NEXT

What: South Carolina vs. Winthrop

When: 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24

Where: Founders Park

Watch: SEC Network Plus (Digital)

Radio: 107.5 FM in the Columbia area

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 6:22 PM.