FINAL: Gamecocks Unable To Capitalize At The Plate, Drop Series To Clemson
After losing a heartbreaker in extras at Segra Park on Saturday night, Mark Kingston and the South Carolina Gamecocks were looking to even their series against their archrivals in the Clemson Tigers at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Sunday afternoon. However, in a game that was strongly reminiscent of game one, Carolina went quiet offensively in the game's latter stages, leading to a gut-wrenching 5-4 loss.
After taking 3.5 innings for either team to break things open in game one, it only took four Gamecock batters for the scoring to get started in today's game, as Cole Messina took the Tigers yard to straightaway centerfield for a two-run homer in the top of the first inning. Clemson would immediately strike back in the bottom half of the same inning with a solo homerun from Will Taylor.
After a quiet second inning from both teams, the Gamecocks would increase their cushion in the top of the third innning with an RBI-single from the former Tiger Dylan Brewer. On the mound, Dylan Eskew did a good job of keeping Clemson's bats at bay the first time through the order, but for the second straight week, seemed to fall apart the second time around, walking Taylor before committing a throwing error to first base, and allowing a fielder's choice and bloop RBI-single to score two runs in total, notching the game at 3.
Two innings later, Roman Kimball would give up a two-out solo homer to Clemson's Nolan Nawrocki, putting the Gamecocks down 4-3. Despite getting a runner in scoring position in both the 7th and 8th innings, South Carolina was unable to bring them home, which was a theme throughout the whole game, as the Gamecocks finished the game 2-10 or .200 with runners in scoring position. In the bottom of the 8th inning, the Tigers, like yesterday, would add an insurance run, with this run coming via a sole homer from Blake Wright.
In the 9th inning, Ethan Petry would hit a solo homerun to cut the lead to one run, and Messina would follow it up with a full-count walk, but Talmadge LeCroy would groundout to third base to end the game, leaving South Carolina with a series loss. The Gamecocks will be back in Founders Park on Tuesday to take on The Citadel.
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