Live updates/game thread: South Carolina at Kentucky (Game 1)

South Carolina is back in action Friday night looking to bounce back from its first series loss at home this year.

The Gamecocks travel to Kentucky to face a scuffling yet dangerous Wildcats team. It’s a tough test for a South Carolina squad firmly in the mix for a national seed in a few weeks. Will Sanders gets the ball for the Gamecocks.

GamecockCentral is on hand providing live updates from Lexington.

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Notes from South Carolina baseball

SCOUTING KENTUCKY
The Wildcats had the midweek off after being swept at Vanderbilt last weekend. Outfielder Jackson Gray leads Kentucky with a .362 batting average to go along with 17 stolen bases. Hunter Gilliam has eight home runs and 55 RBI on the year. On the mound, Ryan Hagenow has a 1.96 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 18.1 innings pitched.

SERIES VS. KENTUCKY
Carolina has a 59-43 series advantage on Kentucky heading into the weekend. The Gamecocks won 2-of-3 games against the Wildcats last year in Columbia. Michael Braswell was 4-for-4 with three RBI in the 10-3 win on Friday and Noah Hall struck out eight in eight innings of work in the 7-0 win on Saturday.

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TIPPETT GOES YARD IN AUBURN WIN
Freshman Will Tippett belted a three-run home run to left field to give Carolina an 8-6 lead on its way to an 8-7 win over Auburn on Sunday afternoon (April 30). He then hit a home run in Carolina’s 6-1 win over Winthrop on May 3. Tippett now has two home runs and eight RBI on the season.

PETRY MOVES INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
Freshman Ethan Petry now has the freshman record for home runs (21) and RBI (65) after his two-run double on April 22 broke Justin Smoak’s freshman RBI record, set in 2006. Petry now is two home runs away from breaking the SEC freshman mark set by Vanderbilt’s Pedro Alvarez.

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