No. 1 LSU turned up the pressure on the Gamecocks Saturday night at Carolina Stadium, as they got up early and never looked back in an 8-1 Tiger victory. The team struggled on both sides of the ball, as the pitching was knocked for 11 hits, two of which were home runs. The loss to the Tigers marks the end of the Gamecocks regular season, leaving them with a final record of 32-24 (13-17).
Pitching struggles in absence of coach
The Gamecocks were forced to play Saturday’s contest without their pitching coach Jerry Meyers, who was ejected Friday night and forced to sit out due to NCAA rules. It seemed to play a role, as Taylor Widener struck out the side to begin the game but struggled later, allowing four runs on four hits through three innings. Sophomore Josh Reagan pitched 3.2 solid innings of relief, but by then the damage was done.
Bats fall silent
Squaring off against LSU’s Alex Lange, the Gamecocks quickly found themselves swinging at air, as they were one-hit by the freshman through five. He allowed one run on the hit, walked three, struck out nine and hit a batter. He handed the ball over to the bullpen, which allowed one hit over the final four innings to shut any hope of a Gamecock comeback down.
Up Next
With the regular season coming to a close, the team will travel to Hoover, Alabama for the SEC tournament this week.