The South Carolina baseball team was swept by the No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks over the weekend at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The Gamecocks dropped the first game of the series 12-2 on Friday night against complete offensive domination from Arkansas. The Razorbacks took the series on Saturday afternoon 12-3 after a tough start from sophomore pitcher Jake McCoy. Arkansas took the sweep on Sunday afternoon thanks to a seven-run explosion in the eighth inning to make the final score 11-4.
Here is a recap of all the weekend games:
Gamecock offense struggles in series opener
The South Carolina baseball team lost its first away game of SEC play against No. 3 Arkansas 12-2 in seven innings on Friday night.
"Any time that happens, it feels like a gut punch, you know, it's not very fun to get beat with the ten-run rule," head coach Paul Mainieri said after the loss.
Arkansas would get on the scoreboard first as sophomore infielder Cam Kozeal got things started in the second inning with a leadoff double, and then junior outfielder Justin Thomas Jr. gave the Razorbacks an early 1-0 lead with a two-out RBI single.
The bottom of the third inning saw similar action with another leadoff double for the Razorbacks, this time from sophomore outfielder Charles Davalan. Senior outfielder Logan Maxwell was hit by a pitch, and sophomore designated hitter Kuhio Aloy walked to load the bases with one out. Two bases-loaded walks and a fielding error by junior infielder Henry Kaczmar allowed Arkansas to score four runs in the inning.
The Gamecocks had its first opportunity to answer back in the fifth inning after a walk from senior outfielder Dalton Mashore and a double from senior catcher Talmadge LeCroy. A groundout by senior infielder Jordan Carrion put the Gamecocks on the board 7-1.
Junior outfielder Nathan Hall hit a leadoff single and scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-2, but that was all the Gamecocks could muster in the sixth inning.
The Razorback offense continued its domination after Maxwell hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning. Thomas Jr. and Davalan added to the production with Thomas Jr. hitting an RBI double and Davalan getting an RBI single. Aloy ended the game in the seventh inning after a three-run homer and officially run ruling the Gamecocks 12-2.
Sophomore pitcher Brandon Stone made his second start of the season and looked to have a better start against a conference opponent after a rough start the week before. Stone pitched three innings and gave up five runs on five hits paired with three strikeouts.
"The kid competed his heart out; you know, I think he did the best he could," Mainieri said. "He fought hard, and he wasn't missing by much, some of those pitches, and that just didn't work out for him."
Senior pitcher Matthew Becker entered the game in the bottom of the fourth inning and struggled to settle down the electric Razorbacks. Becker gave up five runs on eight hits, striking out six batters in 3.1 innings.
Gamecock pitching woes continue in game two
The Gamecocks continued to struggle in Fayetteville, dropping the series to Arkansas after a 12-3 loss on Saturday at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Sophomore pitcher Jake McCoy began the bottom of the first inning with two quick outs, but a hit by pitch and single by sophomore designated hitter Kuhio Aloy led to a three-run home run off the bat of junior third baseman Brent Iredale to take the lead 3-0.
The Razorbacks instantly loaded the bases again in the first inning. Thomas Jr. brought in a run with a walk, and Davalan reached on an error to score another run, giving Arkansas a 5-0 lead.
Arkansas continued its offensive dominance with a two-run double from junior shortstop Wehiwa Aloy and a bases-loaded walk by Kuhio Aloy extended the lead to 8-0 in the first inning.
The Gamecocks responded with an RBI single from Carrion to score junior designated hitter Jase Woita and an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Hall to score freshman infielder Beau Hollins. Carrion came around to score on a wild pitch an at-bat later to cut the lead to 8-3.
The Razorbacks added to its lead with a two-run home run from Davalan, as redshirt sophomore pitcher Ashton Crowther replaced redshirt junior pitcher Roman Kimball in the third inning after giving up two earned runs in two innings.
A double by Wehiwa Aloy and an RBI single by Kuhio Aloy extended the Arkansas lead to 11-3 after five innings.
Thomas Jr. drove in sophomore first baseman Cam Kozeal from third base on a sacrifice fly ball to score the last run of the game in the sixth inning, cementing a 12-3 Arkansas win.
Freshman pitcher Zach Russell continued to impress in his rookie campaign, striking out three of the four Razorbacks he faced in relief.
McCoy had his worst start of the season this afternoon, giving up four earned runs on four hits, only recording two outs before getting pulled in the first inning.
Gamecock pitching continues to struggle in game three
The Gamecocks lost to Arkansas 11-4 on Sunday afternoon to round out the series.The Gamecocks were tied 4-4 with the Razorbacks before allowing seven total runs, which included a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning.
South Carolina jumped out to an early 2-0 lead before the bottom of the second inning thanks to solo home runs from Hall in the first inning and Hollins in the second inning.
The Razorbacks responded by hitting two solo home runs of its own in the bottom of the second and third innings. Arkansas sophomore catcher Ryder Helfrick hit one in the bottom of the second, and Davalan hit the next one in the bottom of the third to tie things up 2-2.
Junior pitcher Jarvis Evans Jr. started for the Gamecocks on the mound, giving up two home runs on five hits. He also struck out three batters and walked another.
Sophomore pitcher Tyler Pitzer came in for Evans Jr. in the bottom of the fourth inning. Pitzer allowed three hits in the fourth and fifth innings and two runs in the bottom of the fifth after a catcher's interference and a hit-by-pitch call, helping Arkansas gain a 4-2 lead heading into the top of the sixth inning.
After South Carolina failed to score in the top of the sixth inning, sophomore pitcher Parker Marlatt came in for Pitzer and allowed zero runs through the next two innings.
In the top of the seventh inning, South Carolina scored two runs after a double from junior infielder Will Tippett brought two Gamecocks home to even things up 4-4 going into the bottom of the seventh inning.
The bottom of the seventh inning didn't see the Razorbacks score after some quick outs from the Gamecocks' defensive unit. South Carolina threatened to score in the top of the eighth, at one point having the bases loaded after junior outfielder Ethan Petry was walked, Woita hit a single and senior outfielder Evan Stone was hit by a pitch.
The Gamecocks couldn't capitalize, however, after Tippett fouled out, which kept the score 4-4 going into the bottom of the eighth inning.
South Carolina junior pitcher Brendan Sweeney came in to pitch for Marlatt in the eighth. Thomas Jr. hit a two-run home run to start the scoring spree, making the score 6-4 Arkansas. Davalan hit a single to left field right before freshman pitcher Ryder Garino subbed in for Sweeney but couldn't stop the Razorback offense either.
Wehiwa Aloy was walked, and Kuhio Aloy was intentionally walked to load the bases for Arkansas with only one out so far in the inning. Iredale hit a grand slam off Garino's pitch, extending the lead to 10-4 Arkansas.
The inning stopped after a home run to left field from Helfrick extended the Razorbacks' lead to 11-4 over the Gamecocks.
From there, the Gamecocks couldn't capitalize in the top of the ninth inning, which completed Arkansas' series sweep of South Carolina.
What's Next?
The South Carolina baseball team (17-8, 1-5 SEC) will look to bounce back on Tuesday versus the North Carolina Tar Heels (18-6, 4-5 ACC) at Truist Field in Charlotte, North Carolina. First pitch is at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.