Gamecocks fall to Clemson, setting up Sunday rubber match
GREENVILLE, S.C.—South Carolina has a formula for winning pitching, and it starts with getting ahead of hitters and throwing strikes.
The Gamecocks struggled doing either Saturday, giving up a season-high 10 walks and finding it hard to get ahead of hitters as they’d fall to Clemson 5-1 to even the series at one game apiece.
They’ll travel to Clemson Sunday needing a win to avoid dropping a fourth-straight series to the Tigers.
“The big difference is the number of free passes we gave up,” head coach Mark Kingston said. “We need to be better there, we usually are. We’ll move on to tomorrow and try our best to win tomorrow.”
The double-digit walks were the most in a game since walking 11 against North Carolina April 11 last year.
Over half were issued by starter Cody Morris, who walked six of the 19 batters he faced Saturday. He’d only deliver four first-pitch strikes and allowed the leadoff man to reach base in every inning he pitched.
“I think I was speeding myself up a little bit,” Morris said. “I was excited with the big game. But in the end I just wasn’t around the zone enough.”
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He finished throwing 3.1 innings after loading the bases in the fourth and was tagged for three earned runs while striking out four.
It was his shortest outing since throwing two-thirds of an inning against North Carolina.
“Just didn’t have the same command he normally has,” Kingston said. “Skylar (Meade) will look at the tape with him and figure out why that was. Skylar’s been really good with guys that have just been a little bit off and making adjustments next time they’re really good.”
Pitchers would put Clemson leadoff men on in six innings with the first two men reaching in the first five innings.
All five runners that came home to score Saturday reached on walks. Cody Morris would get out of it in the first two innings, picking up a few big strikeouts, but couldn’t keep walking the tightrope all game.
“We did not keep the leadoff guy off base for a high number of innings,” Kingston said. “When you play with fire enough against a good team it’s going to catch up with you at some point.”
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Clemson would score in four of the eight innings they came to bat in, getting on the board first with a sacrifice fly before breaking a 1-1 tie in the fourth with a three-run inning, capped by a Patrick Cromwell two-out, two-RBI single off Gage Hinson.
They’d pad the lead in the fifth with another two-out, two-run single, this time off TJ Shook.
The Gamecocks had just one run, a season low, and notched five hits.
Madison Stokes would plate the team’s lone run of the game, a solo home run over the replica green monster in left centerfield. It went 419 feet and left his bat at 113 miles per hour.
For Stokes, it’s his fourth home run of the year and ties him with Jacob Olson for the team lead.
“I’m just getting good pitches to hit and putting a great swing on it,” he said.
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Player of the game: Shook would settle the game down during his appearance. He'd give up just one run, unearned, in four innings pitched and allowed just one walk.
Pivotal moment: The Gamecocks would get two on with one out in the sixth with a chance to cut into the big lead, but Matt Williams would hit a tailor-made double play to end the inning and the threat.
Up next: The rubber match will be in Clemson Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. No starter has been listed yet for South Carolina, and the game will be on the ACC Digital Network.