South Carolina faced border rival North Carolina Tuesday night in Charlotte for the second straight year. The Gamecocks didn’t fare well in last year’s matchup. How did the Gamecocks fare this season at the home of the AAA Charlotte Knights?
FINAL: North Carolina 20, South Carolina 5.
LINESCORE
USC (21-11) – 021 010 010 = 5-13-1
UNC (27-6) – 420 601 70x = 20-14-1
WP – Jason Morgan (3-0)
LP – Cody Morris (2-1)
SV – None
HR – USC, LT Tolbert (Top 2nd, 1 on)
RBI – Tolbert (3), Olson (1), Bride (1).
LOB – USC 11, UNC 6
A – 10,049
Time – 3:40
Gamecock Pitchers: Cody Morris (0.2 IP), Cody Lee (0.2), John Parke (2.0), Graham Lawson (0.0), Reed Scott (2.2), Sawyer Bridges (0.1), Brandon Murray (0.0), Tyler Haswell (0.1), Josh Reagan (0.1), Tyler Johnson (1.0).
HIGHLIGHTS:
-- Freshman RHP Cody Morris made his fifth start of the season for the Gamecocks, but he didn’t last long, getting only one out before being lifted for Cody Lee in the bottom of the first. Morris surrendered three singles, bases-clearing triple and sacrifice fly before exiting with UNC ahead, 4-0.
-- The Gamecocks scored their first runs in Charlotte against UNC in the top of the second when the red hot LT Tolbert jumped on a pitch and crushed it over the right-field fence for a two-run homer, slicing the deficit in half. Tolbert (.324), USC’s leading hitter coming into the game, recorded his third homer and 22nd and 23rd RBI of the season.
-- However, the Tar Heels got those runs back in the bottom of the second on a two-run double off Lee with one out. LHP John Parke replaced Lee on the mound and set down the first two batters he faced on a foul pop and strikeout to end the bottom of the second.
-- The Gamecocks came close to wasting a leadoff double by freshman Carlos Cortes in the top of the third until Jacob Olson delivered a clutch RBI single to left to trim USC’s deficit to 6-3. After a HBP and wild pitch, the Gamecocks had runners on second and third with two outs, but Madison Stokes fanned to strand two runners in scoring position.
-- The Gamecocks’ parade of pitchers continued in the bottom of the fourth when RHP Graham Lawson replaced Parke after he allowed a double, groundout and RBI single, giving UNC a 7-3 lead. Lawson was USC’s fourth pitcher of the night. But he didn’t last long either as he uncorked a wild pitch and walked both UN C batter he faced. Senior RHP Reed Scott became the fifth Gamecock hurler of the night.
-- Scott, though, couldn’t quell UNC’s uprising as he was touched up for a bases-loaded walk, RBI single, RBI groundout and two-run single. By the time the bottom of the fourth had ended, UNC lead, 12-3.
-- USC added a run in the top of the fifth as Tolbert record his third RBI of the night on a single. After UNC scored a single tally in the bottom of the sixth, the total collapse of the Gamecocks pitching staff played out like a bad horror film in the bottom of the seventh as three pitchers combined for seven walks and a hit batter before senior Josh Regan came on to fan the only batter he faced and mercifully end the seven-run inning.
-- When the bottom of the eighth rolled around, the only remaining question was whether Tyler Johnson would get some work. Pitching for the first time since March 4, Johnson set down UNC in order on a groundout, flyout and strikeout.
HOW THE RUNS SCORED:
UNC 1st - Miller reached on fielding error (E4), Warmoth singled to left, McGee singled to left, Datres tripled to left-center (3 RBI), Riley hit sacrifice fly to left (RBI), Gahagan struck out looking, Lynn singled to right-center, <Lee for Morris>, Lynn caught stealing. 4 RUNS, 4 HITS (UNC 4-0).
USC 2nd - Olson singled to third, Tolbert homered to right (2 RBI), Stokes singled to second, Williams grounded into 4-6-3 double play, Hopkins doubled to left-center, Bride struck out swinging. 2 RUNS, 4 HITS (UNC 4-2).
UNC 2nd - Roberts hit by pitch, Busch singled to left-center, Miller flied to right, Busch advanced to second on a wild pitch, Warmoth doubled down LF line (2 RBI), <Parke for Lee>, McGee fouled out to third, Datres struck out looking. 2 RUNS, 2 HITS (UNC 6-2.
USC 3rd - <Morgan for Baum>, Cortes doubled down LF line, Cullen struck out looking, Destino grounded out to short, Olson singled to left-center (RBI), Tolbert hit by pitch, Tolbert advanced to second and Olson advanced to third on wild pitch, Stokes struckout swinging. 1 RUN, 2 HITS (UNC 6-3).
UNC 4th - Roberts doubled to left-center, Busch grounded to first, Miller singled to left (RBI), <Lawson for Parke>, Miller stole second, Miller advanced to third on wild pitch, Warmoth walked, McGee walked, <Scott for Lawson>, Datres walked (RBI), Riley singled to right (RBI), Gahagan grounded to first (RBI), Lynn singled to right-center (2 RBI), Roberts grounded to shortstop. 6 RUNS, 4 HITS (UNC 12-3).
USC 5th - Cortes singled down 3B line (bunt), Cullen singled to left, Destino flied to LF, Olson struck out swinging, Tolbert singled to left-center (RBI), Stokes grounded to catcher. 1 RUN, 3 HITS (UNC 12-4).
UNC 6th - McGee doubled to right, Datres struck out looking, Riley grounded to first, Gahagan doubled down LF line (RBI), Lynn grounded to second. 1 RUN, 2 HITS (UNC 13-4).
UNC 7th - <Bridges for Scott>, Roberts walked, Busch struck out swinging, Miller tripled to right-center (RBI), Warmoth walked, Ladowski (PH) singled to right (RBI), <Murray for Bridges>, Datres walked, Pate walked (RBI), <Haswell for Murray>, Freeman walked (RBI), Lynn hit by pitch (RBI), Martorano (PH) walked (RBI), Freeman scored on wild pitch, Busch struck out swinging, Miller walked, <Reagan for Haswell>, Jones (PH) struck out swinging. 7 RUNS, 2 HITS (UNC 20-4).
USC 8th - <Daniels for Hutchison>, Tolbert grounded to second, Row (PH) walked, Hogan (PH) popped to second, Blair (PH) singled to center, Bride doubled to right (RBI), Cortes flied to right. 1 RUN, 2 HITS (UNS 20-5).
