Pitching Implodes As Gamecocks Drop Series To Kentucky
Mark Kingston's club, at specific points this season, has not only been able to compete against the very best teams in college baseball, but they've also had moments where they looked like the best team in the sport. That's far from what the team has looked like over the past two weekends, as on Saturday afternoon, South Carolina dropped their second straight SEC series, this time to the Kentucky Wildcats.
While their loss in game one was marred by hitting woes, it was the exact opposite today, as, after the first inning, the Gamecocks' pitching staff had a difficult time getting in any groove. Jack Mahoney found himself in significant trouble in the second inning of the game, as he struggled to fool Kentucky's batting lineup and wound up throwing 47 pitches, giving up two runs, and finding himself in three different situations where the bases were loaded.
Mahoney would give up another two runs and wouldn't make it past the fourth inning. While the Gamecock starter struggled, the batting lineup showed signs of life, as plate discipline in the third inning led to a bases-clearing double by Cole Messina, and Gavin Casas would hit an opposite-field home run in the fifth inning to notch things back up at five runs.
However, things completely fell apart from the bottom of the 5th inning onward for South Carolina. James Hicks, who relieved starter Jack Mahoney, came into the weekend with a sub-three ERA. Hicks would wind up seven runs on six hits, as the Wildcats used small ball to get multiple runners on the base pads and displayed power when needed, putting the game out of reach on a bases-clearing triple and a three-run homer.
The Gamecocks found themselves with a deficit too large to overcome and lost their fourth game in their last five conference games. While injuries have undoubtedly affected the team at the plate and somewhat in the field, outside of the Florida series, the Gamecocks' pitching staff hasn't been the same since the LSU series.
They were viewed as a group that could lead South Carolina on a deep postseason run at the start of the year, but right now, this pitching staff from top-to-bottom isn't even giving the Gamecocks a fighting chance. If that doesn't change sooner rather than later, the dreams of recapturing the glories of yesteryear could remain just that, dreams.
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