The Daily Gamecock

Gamecocks cool off at the plate, drop opener to Alabama

The South Carolina basketball program didn't leave quite enough magic behind in Columbia, as the Gamecocks' baseball team suffered a 4-2 tough-luck defeat to Alabama. 

Right-hander Adam Hill earned the loss on his 20th birthday. 

South Carolina center fielder TJ Hopkins flashed his entire set of tools in the opening frame. The sophomore robbed Alabama second baseman Cobie Vance of extra bases after he ranged to the deepest part of the park in a collision with the center field fence. Hopkins held on, and Hill recorded a scoreless first. 

"It was a terrific catch," South Carolina head coach Chad Holbrook said. "We were lucky there in the first, that they could've scored a couple there. He made an incredible play."

Hopkins set the table for South Carolina in its first at-bat with a single up the middle. He would advance two bases on a wild pitch and then score when left fielder Alex Destino pushed a single through the right side. 

Chris Cullen extended the Gamecocks' early advantage with an RBI-single to score first baseman Matt Williams. Williams drew a walk in his first plate-appearance and has now reached base in 19 straight games. Williams would pick up three free-passes on the night. 

After the first five batters for the Gamecocks all successfully reached base, Alabama's Jake Walters worked out of trouble.

"The story of the game was we had their really good pitcher on the ropes there in the first inning, bases-loaded, nobody out after two runs were in," Holbrook said. "He made some really good pitches and got out of it and we couldn't scratch again." 

First baseman Cody Henry led off the third inning with a solo home run to cut the Crimson Tide's deficit in half.

Falling behind to Alabama left fielder Chandler Taylor, a fastball from Hill clipped a little too much of the edge of the plate. Taylor squared up Hill's offering and lofted a two-run home run to right field, his sixth of the season. 

While susceptible to some loud contact on a few occasions, Hill still managed to be effective, particularly when working ahead in the count. After allowing two Alabama hitters to reach in the top of the fifth on a bloop single and a ball that deflected off his glove, the sophomore right-hander recorded consecutive strikeouts to work out of a one-out jam. Both runners moved into scoring position after a passed ball on the first strikeout of the inning, but Hill froze Alabama's Tanner DeVinny with a breaking ball.

Hill was relieved by Reed Scott in the seventh. Falling to 1-3 on the season, Hill allowed three earned runs in his six innings of work on 104 pitches. He entered the game having allowed just four earned runs in his previous four starts. 

The Gamecocks' bats cooled off after their two-run first inning. Following a single from Hopkins in the second inning, Alabama held the Gamecocks hitless until the eighth inning. 

Alabama added an insurance run in the top of the eighth with an RBI-single by catcher Kyle Kaufman. Reliever Garrett Suchey tossed 3 2/3 shutout innings out of the pen for the Crimson Tide, striking out five batters. 

The series will continue on Saturday at 4 p.m. as junior Wil Crowe will take the hill for the Gamecocks. 


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