FINAL: Rough 2nd & 6th Innings Plus Lack Of Clutch Hitting Hurts Gamecocks In Series Finale Loss To Florida
Having won their first road series of the season on Saturday evening, Mark Kingston and the South Carolina Gamecocks looked to complete their second series sweep in SEC play on Sunday afternoon against the Florida Gators. Unfortunately for the Gamecocks, a couple of rough innings on the mound combined with multiple missed opportunities at the plate would cost them dearly at the end.
After scoring a run in the top of the second inning, Matthew Becker, who got the Sunday start for the second week in a row, struggled to maintain command of his curveball, and the Gators would take full advantage, hitting three home runs to quickly make it 5-1. Carolina would get one run back overall in the third inning when Ethan Petry hit a fastball low-and-away over the right field wall against Jac Caglianone for a two-run homer. In the 5th inning, the Gamecocks would find themselves in a bases-loaded situation, but Dalton Reeves, who as we'll discuss later has been coming on as of late, hit a grounder back to the pitcher who tagged him out to end the threat.
Dylan Eskew, who came on in relief of Matthew Becker in the third inning, would help to settle things down on the mound, giving up just three singles in the third, fourth, and fifth innings. In the sixth inning, South Carolina would cut into the Florida advantage once again, with Parker Noland knocking in both Talmadge LeCroy and Will Tippett with a double in the right-centerfield gap, the first hit the Gamecocks recorded all afternoon with runners in scoring position. Coming into the bottom half of the same inning only down one run, the Gator offense would explode on Eskew and eventually on Chris Veach, racking up six total hits, including two doubles to bring in five runs and make it 11-5 in their favor.
The Gamecocks would score two runs in both the eighth and ninth innings, the latter two of which came via a two-run homer from Dalton Reeves (who's now hit four in just ten games), but it wasn't enough, as the team batted 1 for 15 or .067 with runners in scoring position, while Florida conversely batted 6 for 15 or .400 under the same circumstances. The team will remain on the road in their midweek game this coming Tuesday when they take on The Citadel Bulldogs.
You Might Also Like:
- MiLaysia Fulwiley Adds Another Major NIL Deal
- Dawn Staley Named National Coach Of The Year By USBWA
- Dawn Staley Talks How 'Defeats Within [The] Season' Has Prepared Gamecocks For Tournament
Join the community:
- Follow Andrew Lyon on Twitter: @ALyon_SC
- Follow Joseph Griffin on Twitter: @JosephGriffinJG
- Follow Locked On Gamecocks on Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to follow us on X at @GamecocksDigest and our page on Facebook!