Takeaways From The Gamecocks' Midweek Loss To North Florida
Mark Kingston's club has endured some trials and tribulations over the past few weeks, not only dealing with multiple injuries in concentrated areas of the roster, but witnessing the pitching staff hit a collective slump that lacks resemblance of the group people saw in the first half of the season. The Gamecocks lost their third conference series of the past four weeks the previous weekend against the Kentucky Wildcats, and followed that up with a Tuesday night loss to the North Florida Ospreys, a team that came into the week just two games above .500.
For South Carolina Tuesday night's loss seems to have brought them to a "fork in the road" type of moment as multiple issues at the plate on the mound were on display once again for the Gamecocks.
Inability To Capitalize
With South Carolina's injuries and the negative effects that've come with them, we've seen the Gamecocks' batting lineup feel the brunt of the blow. While acknowledging this, Mark Kingston's ball club has squandered ample opportunities in certain games to do real damage at the plate, and Tuesday night was the latest example of this.
South Carolina left a total of 16 runners on base against North Florida, which included three instances where the bases were loaded, and at least two occasions where two runners were on base. South Carolina drew nine walks from the Ospreys pitching staff, and yet was only able to produce five runs with that, which fully healthy or not, is something that has to change going forward.
Consistent Pitching Issues
After possessing the lowest team ERA at one point in SEC play, South Carolina has witnessed their pitching staff go from their biggest strength to arguably their biggest weakness in shocking fashion. Very little has gone right for this group since the Florida series, as almost every pitcher seems to be having issues finishing innings, leaving too many pitches over the plate, and are getting dinged across the board as a collective unit.
Recent performances have led to a flurry of questions from the fanbase regarding what's happened to the pitching staff, wondering if it's psychological or if there are deeper issues left unearthed. Whatever the case may be, South Carolina needs to right the ship quickly before their hopes of hosting a regional in the postseason go by the wayside.
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