Freshmen step up in first midweek game of season

South Carolina was down a run to UNCC halfway through Tuesday’s game; that was, until Carlos Cortes stepped up to the plate.

The freshman jacked a double into deep centerfield, launching it off the wall under the batter’s eye. He stopped at second and was driven in a batter later when Justin Row doubled.

“I didn’t get very far, but I was running,” Cortes said, laughing.

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The Gamecocks tied the game at three on the Row double and the next batter, Alex Destino hit a two-run bomb to left field to make it 5-3 and give South Carolina a lead it would not relinquish the rest of the day.

Cortes, who came in for an injured TJ Hopkins, finished 1-for-2, piggybacking off a Sunday performance where he recorded his first career hit and RBI against UNCG.

“I love the way Carlos is swinging the bat right now. He certainly has confidence,” head coach Chad Holbrook said. “He’s getting his legs under him a little bit. We recruited him thinking he was one of the best hitters, and I think he’s starting to get comfortable now. I think we’re a better offensive lineup in there.”

Fellow freshman Riley Hogan made his first career start Tuesday night at first base. After an impressive spring leading up to Opening Day Friday, Hogan took advantage of his first real opportunity, going 2-for-3 batting in the six-spot.

“Riley might have been one of our best hitters in the spring scrimmages,” Destino said. “So all the work they’ve been putting in is paying off.”

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Matt Williams replaced Hogan at first to start the seventh inning, and he doubled to leadoff the eighth inning.

Newcomer Jacob Olson, who started the game in right field, also had a big hit, homering to right field in the second inning to give the Gamecocks a one-run lead at the time.

This creates a conundrum for Holbrook, who now has to find a place to play Hogan, Williams, Olson and Cortes with other established players like Destino, Hopkins and Danny Blair already in the field.

Row—who made his second start of the year against UNCC—went 1-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt.

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Holbrook said his core lineup woan’t be set for the next few weeks, with SEC play not starting until mid-March. Now, with the younger players beginning to heat up, his job becomes a little harder.

“I’m in a quandary with a couple positions as you can see,” he said. “You watch and there’s not much separation between Riley Hogan and Matt Williams. There’s not much separation between LT Tolbert and Justin Row. Unfortunately I can’t play them all, all the time.”