Bats break out for 14 runs as South Carolina sweeps Milwaukee
South Carolina has been hitting the ball as hard as any team to begin this season. That hasn’t been the problem, though; the balls have seemingly been hit everywhere a defender has been.
Somebody had even told head coach Paul Mainieri before Saturday’s game that his team had the fourth-most hard hit outs. The weather hasn’t helped much, with some chillier-than-normal temperatures this month.
But on a sunny afternoon and temperatures in the high 50s, the balls finally started finding holes. With Mainieri putting out a much different-looking lineup, the Gamecocks (8-0) came to life and earned a 14-4 run-rule win to complete a sweep of Milwaukee on Sunday.
Stay on top of all things Gamecocks for just $1 per week—lock in this special offer today!
Right from the jump, South Carolina came out swinging as Blake Jackson and Ethan Petry hit back-to-back RBI doubles in a three-run first inning. Petry kept his great start to the year going as he went 2-for-3 with two doubles and brought home another run.
Through the first seven games, the Gamecocks had only hit five home runs, two of which were by Petry. On warmer days, they would probably have a few more to add. But they were able to see a few leave the yard on Sunday.
In the third, Nolan Nawrocki hit his first homer as a Gamecock, a solo shot that traveled 425 feet at 107 miles per hour. Then in the sixth, Ryan Bakes, who got the start at catcher, went deep with a two-run homer into left centerfield.
Eight of the nine starters recorded at least one hit. Three had multi-hit games, with Will Tippett leading the way on a day where he started at shortstop and went 4-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI while hitting ninth. South Carolina also finished with five doubles and 13 hits on the day.
Win tickets to USC-Clemson baseball (Sunday game in Columbia)
On the mound, Jake McCoy wasn’t perfect as he dealt with some early command issues. He only made one mistake when he gave up a three-run homer in the second after putting two runners aboard.
The left-hander also walked three and hit two more with pitches running inside. But he finished with eight strikeouts and went four innings in his second start of the year.
Once again, the bullpen did its part in shutting down Milwaukee’s lineup after McCoy came out of the game. It helped the Gamecocks had a five-run cushion to work with entering the fifth. Even still, Ashton Crowther pitched two shutout innings and struck out three without a walk.
After South Carolina further extended its lead to nine, Mainieri began to empty his bullpen with arms that hadn’t thrown yet. Cooper Parks made his college debut and worked through a scoreless seventh before giving up a homer and walk in the eighth. Aydin Palmer came in and got out of trouble as he walked one and then struck out the next three.
Up next: South Carolina will host Gardner-Webb in a midweek matchup on Tuesday. First pitch is at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network Plus.
Discuss South Carolina baseball on The Insiders Forum!
The post Bats break out for 14 runs as South Carolina sweeps Milwaukee appeared first on On3.
