South Carolina experienced something Saturday it hadn’t felt in almost two years: losing back-to-back games.
The Gamecocks, who started 11-0 and didn’t lose consecutive games at all last year, dropped Saturday’s game at Texas 3-0 to lose their first series of the season and stop a streak of four straight series wins dating back to last season.
It’s the first time the Gamecocks (11-2) have been shutout since April 27, 2019 at Missouri.
“When you play Texas you know what you’re up against. You’re up against elite pitching on turf with a great defense,” Mark Kingston said. “You have to be prepared for that. We’re going to learn a lot of great things from this weekend, hopefully before we leave out of this town we come up with a good game tomorrow.”
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South Carolina turned in another solid pitching performance—three runs on four hits and a combined nine strikeouts—but it was the offense not being able to put it together in Saturday’s loss.
After scoring one run on four hits Friday night, South Carolina’s offense couldn’t get much of anything going despite out-hitting the Longhorns 7-4.
The Gamecocks went just 2-for-14 with runners on base, 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, and couldn’t capitalize against Texas’s starter Tristan Stevens, who’d pitch five shutout innings.
There was a chance to break the game open early with George Callil and Brady Allen leading the third inning off with a single and a double. The Gamecocks would load the bases with one out after Texas intentionally walked Wes Clarke but Josiah Sightler grounded into a double play.
The Gamecocks put runners on the corners the following inning but Jeff Heinrich and Clarke struck out consecutively to end the inning.
South Carolina only struck out six times on the day but grounded into double plays twice and stranded a total of eight runners. Of the 27 outs recorded by Texas, 14 were via the groundout.
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“I’m not disappointed at all in the pitching today. I’m disappointed we got shutout today. I’m disappointed in that,” Kingston said. “I’m not disappointed in them. I thought they battled facing really good pitching. We just have to do a better job.”
For the early part of Saturday’s game, it looked like it would be a repeat of Friday’s back-and-forth pitchers’ duel.
An inning after Brannon Jordan pitched out a bases-loaded jam with two strikeouts he’d make two mistake pitches.
Texas led the inning off with a solo home run that just squeaked over the left field fence to break a scoreless tie before Jordan (1-1, 3.50 ERA) gave up another solo homer two batters later.
“Those were fastballs. We’d been mixing them all day. The first one I thought was a pop out to begin with but it seemed the wind picked up a little bit,” Jordan said. “The second one was touched a little bit and left the fastball over the middle. That stuff happens but we still competed.”
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He’d finish the inning but get pulled after a leadoff walk in the sixth, giving up just three hits in five-plus innings, two walks and six strikeouts.
“He was outstanding. He gave us everything we asked for,” Kingston said. “It’s a shame he comes out of here without a win, but we’re going to win a lot of games with him out there.”
The Gamecocks turn now to Sunday to try and avoid getting swept for the first time since the 2019 season. LHP Julian Bosnic (1-0, 0.90 ERA) will square off against RHP Kolby Kuubichek (2-1, 1.93 ERA) with first pitch at noon ET.
“It’s very good pitching on both sides but they did more offensively than we did,” Kingston said. “They’re playing really well in this ballpark. We need to adjust and be ready to go.”
