On a dreary, rain-soaked night at Founders Park, South Carolina baseball at least made sure the vibes on the field were better.
It was weather befitting of the vibe around the program after a series loss to Clemson over the weekend, but the Gamecocks got back on the beam with a 7-1 victory over The Citadel to snap the two-game losing streak.
The issues are not solved, the problems from the weekend far from evaporated, but at least for one evening, South Carolina (9-3) found some positive momentum again after the abrupt orange halt it hit.
Mark Kingston shuffled his lineup after the two slow offensive performances against the Tigers, moving Dylan Brewer into the lead-off spot with Talmadge LeCroy hitting right behind him. The blender immediately yielded positive results, as both reached on first inning free passes from Citadel (9-3) starting pitcher Fisher Paulsen. RBI singles from Ethan Petry and Kennedy Jones cashed both into runs, the latter coming on a nifty LeCroy slide into home plate under a tag to end up on the right side of a close play at the plate.
"We had a big hitters meeting today with alters and all the coaches," Kingston said. "I think it will carryover, but it's not going to happen overnight. We get on base a lot, now we just need to make that next step and get over that hump of okay, now we're getting those guys in pretty consistently."
A dozen games into the regular season might seem a little early for widespread panic, but it was alrady clear there needet be change. A lineup re-configuration, a reminder of what made this offense elite last year, and a true dissection of what went wrong in two disappointing games against Clemson.
Seven runs on eight hits against The Citadel is not going to have anyone guaranteeing the offense is fixed, but it was a start.
"It helped the offense a lot just kind of going back to the basics," LeCroy said about the meeting. "Just going back to our approach, trying to wear down pitchers and hit the bal to the opposite field as hard as we can."
Moreplate patience led to offense when Will Tippett worked a second inning lead-off walk and eventually scored on a wild pitch after advancing to third on a LeCroy single. It was another stellar night at the plate for the junior third baseman, who has now reached base in 11 out of 12 games this season after pounding out three hits including just his second career triple leading off the fifth.
Cole Messina even got himself going again with his first non-home run hit in 24 plate appearances when he cracked a fourth inning RBI single, and added another when his fifth inning groundout drove in LeCroy.
"Maybe he's more of a get on base and set the table kind of guy than an RBI producer," Kingston said on moving LeCroy into the two-hole. "We'll continue to evaluate, but I look the look of Brewer and LeCroy up there kind of setting the table for the middle of the lineup."
Six runs in the first four innings meant freshman Eddie Copper could settle into his midweek groove for the third Tuesday in a row. Consistency remained his speciality, keeping everything on schedule with another outing of at least four innings and no more than one run allowed. This time he took the command up a notch after walking one last week and three the week prior, not issuing any free passes while striking out six.
As it has in midweeks all year, South Carolina’s backend bullpen depth overwhelmed a weaker lineup. Parker Marlatt, Connor McCreery, and Drake Quinn combined for seven strikeouts without issuing a walk or allowing a run over the final 4 ⅔ innings to round out a routine evening in Columbia.
"Shoot, 13 strikeouts, no walks," Kingston said "Tremendously impressed and happy for those guys. It's exactly what we needed."
The Gamecocks are scheduled to return to action at 3 p.m. Wednesday against Davidson, although there is inclement weather in the forecast. If the game is not played, South Carolina will be back in action starting its final non-conference series of the second Friday at 7 p.m. against Longwood.
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