The No. 23 South Carolina baseball team defeated Winthrop 19-3 on Tuesday in its first midweek game of the season.
Freshman pitcher Eli Jerzembeck got his first collegiate start against the Eagles, delivering four strikeouts and no walks over four innings pitched.
"I think I was just excited the whole time," Jerzembeck said. "I was just really excited to be finally be out there for the guys."
Sophomore pitcher Eli Jones came on to pitch after head coach Mark Kingston pulled Jerzembeck when his pitch count got too high. Jerzembeck threw 62 pitches and said that his current pitch count is around 60 pitches, but that he expects it to increase as the season progresses.
Jones pitched 2.2 innings before being pulled due to his pitch count and to allow other pitchers the opportunity to play in the game. Jones gave up two runs off of four hits while striking out four.
"He was just good enough," Kingston said. "He's shown us that he's better, but he battled through."
Jerzembeck and Jones' pitching performances were not the only thing that stood out during the game, as South Carolina's offense scored and defeated its opponent by double-digit runs for the fourth straight game.
South Carolina's offensive display on Tuesday marked the first time that the team has scored double-digit runs in four consecutive games since 2006. It also marked the first time that the team accomplished this feat in its first four games of a season since 1987.
"We just competed. (We) had a little chip on our shoulder tonight, and we played like it, so I love seeing that," Kingston said.
Freshman infielder and pitcher Ethan Petry helped supply much of the Gamecocks' offense during the game. Petry hit two home runs and drove in four runs.
"(Director of player development Mike Current) told me to keep my head down and keep up the hard work," Petry said. "It's going to click soon, and obviously it did, and (I'm) having a lot of fun with it."
Sophomore catcher Cole Messina had four RBIs via a grand slam in the the fifth inning. Messina's home run was one of five home runs hit by the Gamecocks in this game, with senior infielder Braylen Wimmer and junior outfielder Caleb Denny also hitting home runs.
"We're doing a lot of things well, so I'm happy with a lot of things," Kingston said. "It's early, but we're showing a lot of good signs."
The Gamecocks' next game is a home matchup against Queens University of Charlotte on Wednesday at 4 p.m. The game will be available to stream on SECN+.