Heels manhandle Gamecocks in baseball battle of the Carolinas
South Carolina had an opportunity to make a statement on the national stage against North Carolina Wednesday night in Charlotte. The only impression the Gamecocks made was a negative one.
No. 5 USC was pounded 15-0 by the 14th-ranked Tar Heels in front of a sellout crowd of more than 10,000 fans and a national TV audience on ESPNU in a game that had been highly anticipated since it was announced last fall.
Chad Holbrook’s club fell behind early against his alma mater and never bounced back as USC (28-6, 10-2) suffered its worst loss since 2007.
“The atmosphere was great. The venue’s incredible. That’s why I’m sick to my stomach,” Holbrook said. “I apologize to our fans who bought tickets and showed up in earnest and were probably chomping at the bit for something good to happen and we couldn’t give them anything to cheer about. For that I feel terrible.”
North Carolina (24-9, 8-7) took a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning, which was plenty as the Gamecocks never got a runner past second base.
The Gamecocks have more losses against ACC teams than SEC teams as they are 1-3 against the ACC and 10-2 in their conference.
“They outperformed us in a big time way, and you’ve got to give them credit and tip your cap to them,” Holbrook said. “We were outclassed tonight by the way they performed. We didn’t pick a good night to not perform at a high level. It’s baseball, sometimes it happens like that. But it’s certainly tough to take.”
UNC extended its lead to 6-0 in the fifth inning and put the game away with five runs in the seventh.
Taylor Widener got the start for the Gamecocks and pitched well for three innings before running into trouble in the fourth.
He walked three batters and did not get a couple of close calls that would have ended the inning before allowing a three-run double to Eli Sutherland.
“He was a pitch or two away, and there were a couple of borderline that could’ve gone either way, maybe. I don’t know, I’ll have to watch it on tape,” Holbrook said. “But you’ve gotta give credit to their kid. He popped it up and cleared the bases there with a big hit, and it was their night the rest of the way.”
South Carolina’s bullpen imploded, as seven relievers combined to allow eight earned runs.
In total USC’s staff allowed 11 hits and 10 walks.
“We’re just trying to find some guys in the middle relief in games we’re behind three, four, five runs that can keep them at bay,” Holbrook said. “We didn’t find many of those guys tonight.”
South Carolina’s offense was shut down by lefty Hunter Williams, who allowed six hits in 6 1/3 innings of work.
The Gamecocks finished with seven hits, but nobody had more than one. USC went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and 2-for-17 with runners on base.
Alex Destino, who made his return to the starting lineup for the first time since crashing into a wall at Vanderbilt in early April, saw his hitting streak end at 21 games.
The Gamecocks return to action Friday night as they travel to Athens to begin a three-game series with Georgia. USC leads the conference by two games entering this weekend.
THREE POINTS
Star of the game: Hunter Williams: The sophomore had walked 19 batters in 21 innings before shutting the Gamecocks out for 6 1/3 innings.
Plays of the game: Taylor Widener thought he had struck out Brandon Riley with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth inning, but Riley eventually walked on a full count. The next batter doubled to score three runs and the Tar Heels never looked back.
Stat of the game: 10: The Gamecocks issued 10 walks in the game and eight of the runners scored.
OBSERVATIONS
Bullpen depth an issue: South Carolina’s bullpen is strong at the top with Josh Reagan, but there are several question marks after that. The Gamecocks used eight relievers against UNC and only two, Reed Scott and Colie Bowers, didn’t allow a run.
Stolen bases coming too easily: South Carolina struggled stopping Tennessee from stealing this past weekend and that continued on Wednesday. UNC went 4-for-4 in steals and none of the plays were close.
USC’s offense in a funk: John Jones’ incredible start to the year seems well in the past now as his average is down to .331. The 3-4-5 hitters in the Gamecocks lineup went 0-for-7 against the Tar Heels.
NEXT
What: South Carolina vs. Georgia, Game 1
When: 7 p.m. Friday, April 15
Where: Athens, Ga.
Watch: SEC Network Plus (digital)
Radio: 107.5 FM
This story was originally published April 13, 2016 at 10:41 PM with the headline "Heels manhandle Gamecocks in baseball battle of the Carolinas."