South Carolina started their week with a 14-4 win against Furman. The victory came on the heels of a disturbing week that saw them drop three out of four games in which they were outscored 34-10 by their opponents.
Regardless of the quality of pitching that South Carolina saw against Furman, it is encouraging to see that level of offensive production from the Gamecocks. One of the trademarks of their recent skid has been an anemic offense. Unfortunately two of their primary power threats, catcher John Jones and outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams had simultaneously fallen into slumps. In the weekend series against Georgia they hit a combined .056.
Thompson-Williams rebounded with a perfect 4-4 performance with four extra-base hits, including three doubles. The bulk of his damage came in the seventh inning, when after working a full count he connected for a triple that drove in three runs.
Jones got the start behind the plate and also had a productive night in the batter's box. The switch-hitting slugger had an RBI-double to left center in the sixth inning and drove in another run in the seventh inning with a single.
Freshman center fielder TJ Hopkins moved up to the No. 2 spot in the lineup and rewarded Coach Holbrook by going 4-5 at the plate. He is now hitting .333 on the season.
Junior right-hander Taylor Widener got the start for South Carolina. Widener had mixed results in 4 2/3 innings. He did strike out seven batters against just one walk, but Furman did record six hits and three runs against him.
The Gamecocks will need to continue to produce offensively at a similar clip in the upcoming series against Missouri. The Tigers boast a formidable rotation that includes a pair of aces in Tanner Houck and Reggie McClain. The series will begin on Friday at 7 p.m. on Friday at Founders Park.