Pitching dooms Gamecocks in lopsided loss to UNC

CHARLOTTE—Carlos Cortes slammed his bat down on the dirt walking off after a strikeout. Cody Morris shook his head and said something into his glove walking off the mound after being pulled in the first inning.

It was that kind of night for the Gamecocks.

Entering Tuesday’s top-15 showdown against North Carolina wanting revenge after last year’s 15-0 drubbing at BB&T Ballpark, they didn’t find revenge; just another lopsided loss.

“It’s baseball. It happens. Sometimes you have games like these,” infielder LT Tolbert said. “It’s unfortunate that it’s at this park two years in a row, but we didn’t do anything differently. I think we came out ready to play, it just didn’t go our way today.”

North Carolina jumped on South Carolina’s pitching early and often, chasing Morris in the first inning, en route to a 20-5 victory Tuesday.

The Gamecocks have been outscored 35-5 against North Carolina in their last two matchups.

“It has been (ugly). There’s no other way to say it,” head coach Chad Holbrook said. “They swung the bats well in this game and we haven’t pitched well."

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The Gamecocks (21-11, 7-5 SEC) used five pitchers through the game’s first four innings and ten total. Only two of those pitchers—John Parke and Reed Scott—pitched more than two innings.

Leadoff batters for UNC reached base in five times.

“In a game like this we thought a couple older guys might get in there and play catch and maybe get an out or two and they couldn’t,” Holbrook said. “It’s disappointing, especially from older guys.”

Morris and the team’s first reliever from the bullpen, Colby Lee, both pitched 2/3 innings, giving up a combined six runs (five earned) on six hits. Parke would come in in the second inning, settling this down some and giving up another two runs on two hits.

The Gamecocks had a chance to keep it close, down three runs with the top of the order due up in the fourth inning. They went down in order, and the Tar Heels put up six in the bottom half of the inning to make it 12-3 and put the game on cruise control.

North Carolina would score in five of its eight offensive innings.

“We threw some guys who aren’t ready to pitch to a team like that,” Holbrook said. “When you pitch guys who aren’t ready to pitch to a team like that the score can get away from you.”

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Scott, who came in with one out in the fourth, would settle the game down some. Making his 79th career appearance, he would pitch 2.2 innings and give up three runs, just one after the fourth inning.

Four pitchers would see action in the 7th inning with Sawyer Bridges, Brandon Murray and Tyler Haswell combining to give up seven runs on two hits and seven walks. Murray did not record an out and walked in a run with the bases loaded.

Haswell would assist in plating four runs, walking two and hitting another batter and mixing in a wild pitch with the bases loaded.

The Gamecock pitching staff threw 197 pitches, only 100 (50.7 percent) for strikes.

Tyler Johnson, making his first appearance in over a month, would pitch in the eighth. He pitched a perfect inning, striking out a batter and maxing out at about 96 miles per hour.

“It was impressive to me,” Holbrook said. “That was the thing that came out of the game today. That bodes well for us going forward in some late game situations.”

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This was the Gamecocks fourth loss in their last seven games, and just the second loss this season by more than two runs. Their last seven losses had been by no more than two runs.

The two losses against Vanderbilt were by a combined three runs.

“I think you want to forget about these games quicker than others,” Tolbert said. “The ones that are closer last with us longer. This one, we’re going to flush it and we’ll be ready to go Friday.”

Game Changer: The Gamecocks used three pitchers in the fourth inning as the Heels would bat around and plate six runs to put the game away

Top Performer: Tolbert. The sophomore continues to swing a big bat, driving in three runs Tuesday. He has three RBI in four of his last five games, and went 2-for-3 against North Carolina with a home run.

Up Next: The Gamecocks will start a three-game series against Mississippi State on Friday at Founders Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.