Run-of-the-mill on the scoreboard, but not the box score.
South Carolina baseball beat Georgia State 7-1 at Founders Park in its final game before SEC play, a normal score with the regular game flow many midweeks follow.
But between starting catcher Talmadge LeCroy departing after just four innings and regular Friday starter Matthew Becker pitching an inning of relief, the in-game changes carried far more intrigue than the actual result.
While Paul Mainieri confirmed post-game that LeCroy giving way to Max Kaufer was just to keep Kaufer sharp before the weekend, Becker’s outing had a touch of mystery involved. Maineiri alluded to Becker still being available this weekend, but did not reveal anything when asked if the starting rotation would remain the same as the last two weekends.
"I'll be announcing the rotation tomorrow morning," Mainieri said.
Becker, who has allowed eight earned runs in just five total innings over the last two Fridays, jogged in out of the bullpen for the first time this season with a 7-1 lead in tow. He navigated an uneventful sixth inning and gave way to Ryder Garino after just 11 pitches.
It was a short appearance with a specific focus, but just his presence in the game was enough to spark questions heading into the weekend.
“I thought he looked great,” Mainieri said. “[Pitching coach] Terry [Rooney] was really trying to get him to land that curveball, and he was barely missing and the guy was laying off some tough ones. I couldn’t tell from the side; maybe they were off the plate too much for the guy to swing. It wasn’t really the way we would pitch typically, but we were just trying to get him to throw that curveball. But I thought he threw good.”
As for the pitcher Becker took over for, Jarvis Evans Jr. delivered another solid outing. He followed up his seven innings of one-run ball in Charleston last Wednesday with another five innings and just one run allowed against the Panthers, only giving up a solo home run to Georgia State (12-6) catcher Colin Hynek in the second inning.
"It's kind of just the same thing every single outing," Evans said. "Coach Rooney is really big on competitive strike throwers, so that's just what I'm trying to be. Just trying to fill the zone up, get ahead and let my offspeed take care of itself."
South Carolina (15-3) did most of its damage offensively in a six-run third-inning. Productive outs by Ethan Petry and Kennedy Jones — a sacrifice fly and RBI groundout respectively — knocked in the first two runs after lead-off singles by Nathan Hall and Evan Stone plus a wild pitch, but cleared the bases with two outs.
The next six Gamecocks reached on two walks and an infield single, loading the bases for Jordan Carrion.
The second baseman ripped a three-run double off the top of the wall in right field, clearing the bases and boosting his season RBI total to seven. Escorting LeCroy home from first base? Mainieri himself, firing up the windmill and running with him down the third base line as acting third base coach with Monte Lee away from the team on a recruiting trip.
"It's been years since I've waved a guy in on a close play," Mainieri joked. "I forgot how thrilling that is. You're like making deals with God for him to be safe."
A Hall RBI single capped off the inning, and he tacked on an RBI double in the fifth as the scorching hot lead-off hitter reached base four more times and added three hits to extend his team-high tally to 27.
After a fairly routine win to cap off a non-conference slate that was equally comfortable outside the Clemson series, here comes the ultimate test. The SEC schedule, 30 games across 10 weekends starting on Friday with No. 12 Oklahoma coming to Founders Park.
"I've always described the SEC baseball conference as the major leagues of college baseball," Mainieri said. "The reason I say that is the bottom dwellers in the major leagues are still filled with major league caliber players. And everyone in the SEC is filled with SEC-caliber players. If you don't bring your A-game, you can get beat every single game."
The biggest series of the season so far, with a suddenly unavoidable question mark hanging over it regarding who will throw the first pitch Friday night.
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