Gamecocks Hold Off Bethune-Cookman For Series-Clinching Win

While runs were harder to come by compared to yesterday, South Carolina's Baseball team strung together enough plays to earn a 3-run victory over the Wildcats.

When it comes to the sport of baseball, there's a long-ranging list of superstitions that are treated with the upmost sincerity, one of them being that scoring runs in bunches will automatically set up your team's batting lineup for a down performance the next time they take the field. Whether or not today's hotly-contested matchup was due to this superstition becoming reality or Bethune-Cookman's higher quality play probably depends on whether or not you consider yourself a traditionalist or modernist as a baseball fan, but nonetheless, Mark Kingston's team weathered the storm and left Founders Park with a 8-5 win.

After starting pitcher Noah Hall and Nolan Santos went through the first two innings without any trouble, the Gamecocks got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second, as Cole Messina would reach first base on a single, then follow it up with a stolen base. South Carolina third baseman Talmadge LeCroy would then bring Messina home off a flyball to deep center that was lost in the sun by Bethune-Cookman's centerfielder, which subsequently allowed LeCroy to reach second base, where he would be brought home by Carson Hornung single to left.

Carson Hornung then brings LeCroy home and it's 2-0 Carolina!! @crhbaseball

📺 https://t.co/q5mhB79djH#Gamecocks | #ForeverToThee pic.twitter.com/Fr746L5mkq

— Gamecock Baseball (@GamecockBasebll) March 11, 2023

After being given a two-run cushion, Hall would run into trouble in the third inning, allowing two base hits and throwing a wild pitch that led to baserunners in scoring position, with one eventually reaching home plate. His start today wasn't his best as the smaller strike zone established by the home plate umpire seemed to throw Noah a touch off his game, with him struggling to command his fastball effectively. Hall's somewhat-erratic command would nearly reach a breaking point in the 5th inning. Following up another two-run inning by the Gamecocks' batting lineup, Hall would walk three straight Wildcat batters to load the bases, something extremely uncharacteristic of the senior right-hander. He would eventually get the final two outs via strikeout after giving up a 2-RBI single to Boris Peña.

Thankfully for Noah Hall, South Carolina's hitters would come through once again, taking advantage of two errors and two walks by Bethune-Cookman to bring home three runners and build up a lead that wouldn't be seriously threatened for the rest of the game.

The first pitch for the second game of this doubleheader is set for 4:35 pm eastern time.

You Might Also Like:

• Takeaways From Gamecocks' Series Win Over Clemson
• Gamecock Bats Quiet In Game 1 Loss To Clemson
• Kingston On Clemson Series: "It's A Celebration Of Baseball"

Join the community:

• Follow Andrew Lyon on Twitter: @ALyon_SC
• Follow Christian Dart on Twitter: @ChristianJDart
• Follow Arvon Bacon on Twitter: @baconnetworkllc
• Follow Fisher Brewer on Twitter: @USCTalk
• Follow Locked On Gamecocks on Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @GamecocksDigest & follow us on Twitter at @GamecocksDigest.