Gamecocks blast Texas A&M, win fifth consecutive SEC series to close regular season
The South Carolina baseball team wasted little time in putting an exclamation mark on its 2018 regular season.
The Gamecocks scored four runs in the first inning Saturday, punctuated by home runs from Noah Campbell and Madison Stokes, on the way to a 10-1 win at Texas A&M. The win clinched the team's fifth consecutive SEC series win and sends USC into the conference tournament on a high note.
"We can win a lot of games if we're pitching like that and our offense is playing like that," Gamecocks coach Mark Kingston said to reporters after the game. "That was really encouraging. Big game today to try to finish the regular season strong, and (Cody Morris) gives us maybe his best outing of the year."
USC (17-13 SEC, 32-22 overall) added four more runs in the third inning, which included a two-run double from Carlos Cortes.
As South Carolina's offense rolled, Morris threw a gem. He went seven innings with seven strikeouts, allowing only five hits and no earned runs.
Kingston praised the way he got quick outs, meaning he didn't labor and could get deeper in the game.
"He's got that kind of stuff," Kingston said. "And when he throws strikes and his secondary pitches are over the plate, then he's got the chance to get a lot of outs."
The only offense for Texas A&M (13-17, 36-19) in the first seven innings was a first-inning sacrifice fly.
South Carolina's chance at a bye in the SEC tournament disappeared when Ole MIss defeated Alabama to claim the No. 4 seed. USC is the No. 5 seed and will play in the single-elimination first round.
THREE POINTS
Star of the game: Madison Stokes went 3-for-4, with a two-run home run early, a double and a sacrifice fly. He had three RBIs.
Play of the game: Stokes' two-run home run in the opening frame wasn't the first damage USC did (that was Noah Campbell's leadoff shot), but it kept things rolling as eight of South Carolina's first nine hitters reached base.
Stat of the game: 10 of the 12 USC hitters to get at-bats got hits. Stokes and Jacob Olson each had three hits.
This story was originally published May 19, 2018 at 6:05 PM with the headline "Gamecocks blast Texas A&M, win fifth consecutive SEC series to close regular season."