South Carolina looks to rebound in series against No. 1 Florida
With the most anticipated SEC series less than 24 hours away, the Gamecocks find themselves not looking forward to it at all.
“We’re just trying to figure out what’s going on,” said senior pitcher Michael Roth. “Obviously, we’re in a little bit of a rut and we’re just trying to figure ourselves out. We’ve just got to be a bit tougher.”
After being swept at Kentucky, the Gamecocks rebounded with a win against Furman, but took another step backward against Wofford, losing 4-5 on the eve of a series against No. 1 Florida.
“There’s no point in dwelling on losses,” said junior first baseman Christian Walker. “You can’t do anything about it now.”
Though South Carolina (16-5) jumped out to an early lead after a Walker home run in the fifth, the Gamecocks were not able to get the runs across late.
The trouble for the Gamecocks started in the sixth inning when the Terriers chipped away at a 3-0 lead after a two-run homer to left center from right fielder Mac Doyle. After the Gamecocks plated another run in the bottom of the inning, Doyle hit another two-run blast at his next at-bat, tying the game.
Left-hander Nolan Belcher came in to a 4-4 game with one out and put his first two batters on with walks. Designated hitter James Plaisted then singled to left, but the throw from left fielder Tanner English to home kept the runner on third from trying to score. Belcher struck out the next two batters to get out of the inning without surrendering any more runs.
But the bullpen would not hold Wofford, as the Gamecocks battled with the Terriers until the 11th inning, when a single off pitcher Evan Beal by first baseman Konstantine Diamaduros brought Matthew Kaskow home.
With the bullpen having struggled at Kentucky and again on Wednesday, South Carolina coach Ray Tanner said he has to consider the possibility of moving starter Matt Price back into the bullpen.
“We had some opportunities at Kentucky — and some of those leads were in the middle of the game, so I’m not sure we would have been to Price yet,” Tanner said. “He has a proven track record, and we started out the year pretty good, but lately we have faltered in the bullpen a little bit, so I think you’ve got to take a look at it.”
Though the Gamecocks don’t “feel too good right now,” Tanner said a series against Florida gives the team a chance to build some momentum if they play well. With an 0-3 conference record after the trip to Lexington, Ky., Tanner said there is more of a sense of urgency now than there would have been had the Gamecocks won a game against the Wildcats.
While the relief pitching has faltered, Tanner was disappointed with the number of strike outs against Wofford. The Gamecocks have struggled to get runners home, as they stranded eight against the Terriers.
“When we don’t string a couple hits together, it’s just the other pitcher doing his job,” Walker said. “You can’t expect to score five runs every inning.”
Furthermore, South Carolina is on a stretch where tonight’s game will be its third game in a row, with the series making it five consecutive games on the schedule.
“That’s not an issue,” Tanner said. “There aren’t any excuses. You get a chance to play baseball. That’s what you want to do, so there’s nothing about it that’s an issue at all.”
Roth said the team needs to grow up as a unit, but he knows the group will be looking forward to the series Thursday, even though it may not be right now.
“The locker room’s not too happy right now,” Roth said. “But come 2:30 for the pregame meal, we’ll be over it.”