Hagen Smith Strikes Out 11, Gamecocks Fall 2-1 To Arkansas

There were chances, but they were fleeting. There were glimmers, but shut down quickly.

There was Hagen Smith, and that was enough.

The best pitcher in college baseball sauntered into Founders Park and was as advertised for No. 2 Arkansas, striking out 11 batters in six innings of two-hit, one-run ball as the Razorbacks emerged with a 2-1 series-opening victory.

“I think Hagen is just really good all around," South Carolina catcher Cole Messina said. "I tip my cap to him. He has a really good fastball and can throw a really, really good slider. He threw strikes when he needed to and made pitches. You tip your cap and hope you don’t face him again for awhile.”

Not that South Carolina (26-12, 8-8 SEC) did not have its opportunities, though. The Gamecocks put two on base with one out in the fourth inning only for a strikeout and a feeble grounder to retire the side. They loaded the bases with the top of the order looming in the fifth and did take the lead when a slow Parker Noland roller turned into a fielder’s choice allowing Talmadge LeCroy to trot home, but Dalton Reeves struck out with the bases loaded to end the frame.

And worst of all may have been the seventh. Austin Brinling muscled a hit out to left, getting on the board in his first start of the season. Will Tippett squared to bunt but immediately took a pitch to the helmet. After talking with the trainer and staying in the game he jogged it off, setting up just about the best situation South Carolina could have realistically hoped for before the evening began.

Down one in the seventh. Two on, nobody out. Top of the order looming. Smith out of the game.

Flyout, flyout, strikeout. It was the crown jewel of a 1-of-9 night with runners in scoring position and a 1-of-12 performance with runners on base and 16 more strikeouts.

"Both teams had four hits tonight," Mark Kingston said. "That was elite pitching, elite defense, and again other factors made it really tough for hitters to hit tonight.

"It was an elite game with two really good teams going at it, and they had the one more run."

And still, they had the lead in the sixth. Roman Kimball was effectively wild, squeezing seven outs early despite not having his best command and eventually departing with a thumb injury in the third inning.

"Something was wrong with his thumb where it just kind of went numb and he couldn’t really hold the ball," Kingston explained. "So that’s why we took him out of there. He couldn’t throw the ball and he’s throwing 92 MPH, and that’s not a good recipe.”

Ty Good took over for him and was stellar, carrying the game all the way through the fifth with a shutout still intact. But as his pitch count climbed, the command waned. And in a tight game, it was enough.

Good walked the first two batters of the sixth before allowing a bunt single and falling behind 2-0 in the count to Kendall Diggs with the bases loaded. Through it all, Chris Veach warmed up. But Kingston did not pull the trigger until the count was already 2-0 on Diggs, leaving his stopper with a mess to work out of.

Veach did his level best, actually coming back to strike Diggs out. But a wild pitch two offerings later tied the game, and a Jack Wagner sacrifice fly put two runs on the board which stood up all night for Arkansas (33-5, 13-3 SEC).

"I felt good for the most part," Good said. "In the sixth inning I kind of got a little sluggish, but everything was feeling good."

Two runs should not have been curtains. Not with this offense, not with the supposed firepower available. But such is the story of the 2024 Gamecocks, and will continue to be until they change the narrative themselves.

Friday was another opportunity to do so, and another missed one as they dropped back to .500 in league play. Even in the ninth inning when Kingston hastily argued a call on a Jake McCoy hit-by-pitch to Peyton Holt, it did not light the fire he was hoping it would.

"He has the right to eject me if he doesn't like what I said," Kingston said. "But I thought it was the right time to fight for our team based on what I was seeing. That's what I did, and he has the right to eject me."

McCoy pitched out of a bases loaded jam to give the offense one final lifeline, capping a night where he and Parker Marlatt picked up two clutch innings as true freshmen in high leverage spots.

"It was great to see," Messina said. "Those guys have been key pieces here over the last two or three weeks, and just showed they can pitch against anybody. That was the No. 2 team in the country, and they shut them down for the most part."

Blake Jackson doubled with the Gamecocks down to their last strike and Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn elected to intentionally walk the winning run on base by putting Messina on, but Noland grounded a 3-2 pitch to first base against new reliever Stone Hewlett to extinguish the flames.

They will get two more chances to snap out of it tomorrow, with the series-concluding doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. ET and game two coming an hour after game one’s conclusion. Eli Jones will toe the rubber for the Gamecocks in game one, with game two’s starter still undetermined.

But no matter who pitches, the urgency remains the same for this offense.

Again, it was there for the taking.

Again, it slipped away.

****************************************************************************

Want 2 months free on your Rivals subscription? Refer a friend and they'll get 50% off their first year while you get 2 months free, and the best part? You can do it as many times as you want. Just use your custom referral link on your subscriptions page (linked above).