The night was filled with a healthier lineup, better energy and much more competitive baseball for South Carolina baseball, but ultimately the same result.
The No. 6 Gamecocks opened their three-game series at No. 3 Arkansas with a 4-1 loss, its fifth consecutive defeat overall and fourth in a row in SEC play.
Eli Jones was the story of the night for South Carolina (36-13, 14-10 SEC). The sophomore spot starter made his second SEC start of the season filling in for regular Friday starter Will Sanders, who did not make the trip to Fayetteville after suffering a lower-body injury.
Jones matched his career-high in innings (five), threw a career-high 91 pitches and struck out a career-high 10 batters in a sensational performance, acquitting himself in one of the toughest environments to pitch in anywhere in college baseball. He was his usual, strike-throwing self with just two walks, and allowed very little hard contact against one of the toughest offenses in the nation.
The lone blemish against him came in the third inning when Arkansas (37-12, 18-7 SEC) right fielder Kendall Diggs scorched a base hit into right field with two on and two out. Gavin Casas got a glove on the line drive, but could not quite make the play as it trickled into shallow right allowing a run to score.
Unfortunately for Jones that one run was enough for him to be on the chasing end of a classic Friday night pitcher’s duel all game. Razorbacks’ ace Hagen Smith was exceptional from the jump, going blow for blow with Jones. He only allowed one hit in the first five innings of play, but South Carolina finally managed to dent the scoreboard against him in its third time through the lineup.
Michael Braswell led off the frame with a 3-2 single into left and after Cole Messina singled him into score position, Braylen Wimmer announced his return to the lineup with a game-tying RBI single. Friday night marked Wimmer’s first appearance since he suffered a hamstring injury in the opening game of the Auburn series two weeks ago, and he had the hit that knocked Smith out of the game.
Arkansas turned to ace reliever Gage Wood, and he lived up to his billing by firing 3 ⅓ scoreless innings from there with four strikeouts and just three baserunners allowed, giving his offense a chance to take over the game.
It did that with a run in the sixth inning and two in the seventh, the big blow coming when Diggs tacked on his second and third RBIs of the night on a bases loaded single in the seventh off Cade Austin.
Game two of the series is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday, with Mark Kingston still yet to announce his starting pitcher. Jack Mahoney, the regular game two starter who Kingston did not tab for the spot this week in case he needed to use him in Friday relief, did not pitch in the series opener.
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