James Hicks Sends The Bulldogs Packin' In Gamecocks' SEC Tournament Opening Win
When Mark Kingston talked to the media on Monday morning, he mentioned that the key to the game would be who won the pitching matchup, and noted that the Georgia Bulldogs had one of the most consistent offenses in the SEC this season. Right-hander James Hicks heard the message loud and clear, and delivered what was arguably the best performance of his Gamecock career agains the dawgs on Tuesday morning.
South Carolina came into the SEC Tournament knowing that they weren't going to be at full strength, especially with their pitching staff, as neither Will Sanders or Noah Hall would be available, and the Gamecocks' best reliever Chris Veach, has been dealing with a hip injury he suffered in their final midweek game versus Charlotte. Ideally, the Gamecocks wanted Hicks to go five or six innings and save the bullpen for the latter portion of the game.
James delivered and then some, going six and two-thirds innings deep, giving up just seven baserunners and no runs, in what was the longest outing of his career in Columbia. Hicks was effective at working both sides of the plate with his two-seam fastball, with the movement throwing off the Georgia batters, including the heart of the Georgia lineup in Charlie Condon, Connor Tate and and Parks Harber, who combined for one hit in nine at-bats.
At the plate, South Carolina got the Bulldogs via death by a thousand paper cuts, as the Gamecocks recorded eleven singles through "swinging bunts" and just hitting the ball where the Georgia fielders weren't positioned. Will Tippett was by far the best batter in the lineup on Tuesday morning, going 3-4 and batting in three runs through a bases-clearing triple in the bottom of the seventh inning.
With the majority of the bullpen getting an extra day of rest, the Gamecocks will now move into the double elimination portion of the tournament, and have guaranteed themselves at least two more games. They'll play the No. 3 seed LSU Tigers in Game Five of the Tournament on Wednesday morning at 10:30 am EDT on the SEC Network.
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