South Carolina secured its first SEC series win of the season Saturday, defeating No. 11 Ole Miss 7-2 in Game Two behind a strong pitching performance from Jake McCoy and a three-RBI day from Nathan Hall.
The Gamecocks (24-17, 5-13 SEC) overcame an early deficit and used timely hitting to build a lead they would never relinquish, clinching just their fifth conference victory of the year but a critical one against a ranked opponent.
Ole Miss (27-12, 9-8 SEC) struck first when freshman Hayden Federico launched a solo home run to left field on a 3-1 pitch to lead off the game. But McCoy settled in quickly after the early hiccup, retiring the next three batters and keeping the deficit at 1-0.
South Carolina wasted no time responding. Hall drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first and eventually advanced to third on Ethan Petry's single. With two outs, Jase Woita looped a soft single to right field, scoring Hall to tie the game at 1-1.
The inning continued with a pair of wild pitches from Ole Miss starter Riley Maddox that allowed Petry to score. Then Beau Hollins hit a ground ball to first base that turned into a gift run when Rebels first baseman Will Furniss missed the bag, allowing Woita to cross the plate for a 3-1 Gamecock advantage.
Hall extended the lead in the second inning when he hammered a 3-2 fastball into the seats for a solo home run, making it 4-1 and chasing Maddox from the game after just 2⅓ innings. The Ole Miss starter was charged with four runs (three earned) on three hits while walking three.
McCoy settled into a groove after the first-inning homer, allowing just two more hits over his 6⅓ innings of work. The left-hander finished with seven strikeouts against three walks, lowering his ERA to 5.80 while earning his fourth win of the season.
Blake Jackson provided an insurance run in the sixth inning with a solo home run to right field, extending South Carolina's lead to 5-1. When Ole Miss threatened with runners at the corners and one out in the seventh, Caleb Jones entered and promptly induced an inning-ending double play.
The Rebels scratched across a run in the eighth on Jackson Utermark's two-out RBI single to make it 5-2, but South Carolina answered with two more runs in the bottom half when Hall delivered a two-run single up the middle, pushing the advantage to 7-2.
Ashton Crowther closed out the game with 1⅓ perfect innings of relief, including a 1-2-3 ninth inning to secure the victory and the series win.
Hall finished 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs, and two runs scored to lead the South Carolina offense. Petry added two hits, while Woita contributed an RBI single and scored a run in his only official at-bat.
For Ole Miss, Federico's leadoff homer represented their only extra-base hit until Michael Sanford doubled in the seventh inning. The Rebels managed just five hits total against Gamecock pitching.
The victory gives South Carolina a chance for its first SEC sweep of the season in Sunday's series finale, scheduled for 2 p.m. After struggling through the first five SEC series with just three conference wins, the Gamecocks have now guaranteed themselves a winning weekend against a ranked opponent.
