South Carolina's offense exploded Tuesday for 19 runs as the Gamecocks cruised to a big win, but Friday it was the pitching stealing the day.
Pitchers combined to allow just one run on six hits, striking out 11, as the Gamecocks (8-0) beat Mercer 5-1 in the series opener Friday.
The win gives the Gamecocks eight straight wins to start the season, the most since winning 10 straight to open the 2016 season.
“It’s just the tip of the iceberg for us, in my opinion. There are a lot of guys in the bullpen who can come in and do whatever it is I’m doing or whatever it is Brett Kerry’s doing or Danny Lloyd or Jack Mahoney or Will Sanders," Andy Peters said.
"As a season progresses not only you guys but the fan base is going to see a lot of what we have in store. It’s just the beginning of the season. Everyone’s going to get better, everyone’s going to take big strides.
Thomas Farr stitched together another great outing, giving up one run in 5.1 innings while striking out five. It wasn't as dominant as his first two starts with him walking three and giving up six hits, but he picks up his second win over the year.
He'd cruise through the first two innings, pitching a shutout with 20 of his first 24 pitches strikes. He'd start to hit a little more trouble from the third inning on, throwing 72 pitches over the remainder of his outing and leaving with two on and one out in the sixth.
“It was very workman-like. I think once he got up into the 80s on a cold night it just wasn’t quite as sharp and he was very sharp early on," Mark Kingston said. "Then once his pitch count got up and there were some lulls in the game that made it seem even longer with the colder weather. That’s what you can attribute that to.”
A big moment in the game came on Farr's last batter, giving up a long foul ball ruled a two-run home run that was ultimately overturned and kept the Gamecocks in front by then three runs.
“You could see it curling foul and when they called it fair we all kind of looked at each other in shock. For me it was clearly foul,” Kingston said. “You knew at some point it would go to video review. What my request was: if you have the ability to overrule before you go to review we need to do that. That ball was clearly foul. We didn’t want them to go to review and them say they didn’t get a camera angle and have to lean what the call was on the field.”
Andy Peters relieved him, getting out of the jam with two strikeouts en route to another solid performance out of the pen, allowing just one base runner on a walk while striking out five in 2.2 innings.
Peters has now allowed just one hit in 9.2 scoreless innings with two walks and a whopping 17 strikeouts as he turns into one of the team's go-to options out of the bullpen.
“It feels pretty ethereal. It is definitely awesome people have a lot of confidence in me to come in and do something like that," Peters said. "There are a plethora of guys out there who can do the same thing. At the end of the day, they chose me. it was my time to get called and get the pitches. It’s a pretty good feeling.”
The Gamecock offense didn't have as prolific a day as its had in previous games, but hitters were still able to be somewhat productive, hitting 4-for-13 with runners on base (2-for-8 with runners in scoring position) with four of the five runs coming with two outs.
They'd hit 9-for-17 in advancement opportunities.
“I told our guys that was a good blue collar win tonight," Kingston said. "Offensively we weren’t explosive but we did just enough to win. Our pitching and defense was excellent. That carried the night.”
The Gamecocks got out to an early lead in the fourth thanks to a two-run shot from Braylen Wimmer, his fourth of the season, a 379-foot homer to left field.
Wimmer is now tied for second on the team in home runs with five, still three behind Wes Clarke. He's also hitting .379 on the year.
“It’s fun to watch players grow up and develop and become better players. He’s such a great athlete you thought if he gets stronger and starts to mature and learns the game at an even better level than he did you thought this kid could turn into a really nice player," Kingston said. "He’s a fun guy to watch right now, no question.”
South Carolina's now won 13 straight games dating back to last season and will have a chance to push their winning streak to 14 Saturday.
The 13-game win streak ties the longest since that 2016 season, but the last time the Gamecocks won 14 in a row was 2014 when they rattled off 16 straight.
“It seemed like it was closer than 5-1 the whole time" Wimmer said. "Big credit to our pitchers; they dealt all night. We battled at the plate and scratched some runs across but our pitchers were the guys tonight.”
