South Carolina's pitching staff delivered a masterclass on Sunday afternoon, combining for a four-hit shutout as the Gamecocks completed a series sweep of Morehead State with a tense 1-0 victory at Founders Park.
After Saturday's 16-11 slugfest, Sunday's finale proved to be the polar opposite, with Nathan Hall's clutch fifth-inning RBI single providing the game's only run. The victory improved South Carolina to 14-3 heading into their final tune-up before SEC play begins.
Bradley Poynter was the tough-luck loser for Morehead State, delivering a remarkable performance on the road against an SEC opponent. The right-hander limited the Gamecocks to just four hits and one run over seven strong innings while striking out two.
Dylan Eskew started for South Carolina but struggled with command despite not allowing a run. The right-hander walked four batters and hit another while recording just one strikeout in three innings. His day ended in the fourth after allowing consecutive baserunners, eventually leading to a bases-loaded jam with no outs.
Enter Jackson Soucie, who delivered perhaps the most critical sequence of the game. The left-handed reliever induced a pop-up and then a double play to escape the bases-loaded threat unscathed. Soucie would work a clean fifth inning as well, striking out two batters while recording his first win of the season.
The scoreless tie finally broke in the bottom of the fifth when Talmadge LeCroy drew a walk and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jordan Carrion and a groundout from Henry Kaczmar. Nathan Hall then came through with the game's decisive hit, singling to right field to bring home LeCroy for the 1-0 lead.
Tyler Pitzer took over pitching duties for South Carolina in the sixth, navigating through 3 innings while striking out 4 and walking 2. He found himself in trouble in the seventh after a walk and back-to-back bunts loaded the bases with one out, but he recovered to strike out Chance Edmonds and Griffin Olson to preserve the slim lead.
The ninth inning provided one final test for the Gamecocks as Brendan Sweeney came in seeking his fourth save of the season. After striking out Alex Kean, Sweeney allowed a single to Andy Cisneros, who promptly stole second base. A walk to Aubrey Kearns put the go-ahead run on base, but Sweeney struck out Edmonds and induced a game-ending foul pop-up from Hayden Robbins to secure the victory.
Offensively, South Carolina managed just five hits against the Eagles' pitching staff. Hall went 2-for-4 with the lone RBI, while Scobey, Hollins, and Carrion each added singles. The Gamecocks struggled in key situations, going just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and leaving seven men on base.
For Morehead State, Cisneros collected two of the team's four hits, while Davis Germann and Alex Kean added the others. The Eagles threatened multiple times but couldn't break through against the South Carolina bullpen, stranding 10 runners and going 0-for-9 with two outs.
The series sweep gives South Carolina momentum heading into Wednesday's midweek contest against Georgia State before opening SEC play next weekend against Oklahoma at Founders Park.
