Locked in a tie game in the sixth inning, South Carolina found itself in a rather advantageous position.
They’d put two on with no one out, prompting an Arkansas pitching change and an already energetic crowd to get even louder. But just five pitches later the inning—and the Gamecocks’ best chance to blow the game open—was over.
Then, it was Arkansas’s turn to take advantage, posting three runs the next inning and handing the Gamecocks a 6-1 loss Thursday night to drop their fourth-straight SEC opener.
“I told them we needed to do two things to start winning game one of these SEC series,” Mark Kingston said. “We needed Thomas to get better and make some adjustments and be the Friday night guy we all know he is and we needed to do a better job offensively in game one. We got one of those two.”
With two on in the inning and a new pitcher on the mound, Josiah Sightler, hitting over .300 with runners in scoring position, squared to bunt and popped up on the infield for the first out before Colin Burgess grounded into an inning-ending double play.
It was the Gamecocks’ best chance of the night and went by the wayside quickly, but was a theme for parts of Thursday night’s series opening loss.
“It was pretty simple. It was a one-to-one game. Both teams were having trouble scoring, left on left matchup. It was a pretty easy decision to get the bunt there and try to get second and third there,” Kingston said.
“If Burgess puts a ball in play you at least take a 2-1 lead, if not a 3-1 lead and you’re able to go to your main bullpen guys at that point. It just didn’t happen. He popped it up and before you knew it the inning was over and they grab some momentum.”
The Gamecocks (24-11, 10-6 SEC) mustered just two hits all night and hit just 2-for-10 with runners on base, one being a game-tying double by Colin Burgess in the fourth, but stranded six and struck out 10 times.
It wasted a solid outing from Thomas Farr, who turned in his best start in over a month Thursday night.
Farr (2-4, 3.36 ERA) pitched a career high seven innings and held a potent Arkansas offense in check for six innings, just one run on four hits.
The Razorbacks would take advantage as part of a three-run seventh after the Gamecocks’ wasted chance in the sixth.
Robert Moore launched a two run homer to right—his second of the day—on what Farr called a misplaced, “center cut” fastball to give the Razorbacks the lead before they tacked on another run with a bunt single.
Arkansas got another run after a replay review at first upheld a safe call, then a runner go to third on a wild pitch and throwing error followed by a bunt single.
“You build tough skin against it,” “You can’t get too mad about it and have to overcome it and go to the next pitch. That’s one thing I try and pride myself on. I try to stay as calm as possible…You just keep playing ball.”
After four starts where he battled command issues, Farr finished walking two in seven innings while giving up five hits and four runs, three of which were earned.
“I know I haven’t been pitching the best but I’m really confident in what I can do. My mindset today was to just fill the zone up,” Farr said. “If they get 10 hits tonight, they get 10 hits. I just really wanted to be in the zone, and I feel like if I’m in the zone with two or three pitches I feel like I’m a really good pitcher.”
The Gamecocks have won four straight series entering this weekend and do continue their streak, they’ll have to sweep tomorrow’s doubleheader starting at 2 p.m.
They’ve done it before, going a perfect 8-0 in games two and three over the last four weekends.
“There’s no reason why I wouldn’t be confident in this team. They always answer the bell and they always bounce back. We’re not in the top 10 for nothing. We’ve earned it, played a great schedule and there’s no reason I wouldn’t have confidence in this team.”
