Junior pitcher Adam Hill finally looked like the Friday night starter everyone hoped he would become, silencing Charleston Southern on Friday in a 7-0 win. After giving up seven runs over four innings last week, Hill was ready to rebound.
And that's exactly what he did. Hill dominated the Bucs by pitching a perfect game until the sixth inning when the first Charleston Southern baserunner of the night reached on an error by the first baseman. Still, Hill exited the game in the seventh with a no-hitter, had not allowed a walk and struck out 14 players.
"I won't try to do justice to that performance for Adam, because I don't have the words to talk about how great that outing was," head coach Mark Kingston said. "I think it shows a lot about him, his ability to bounce back ... Tonight, I think, was pretty typical for him. So great to see and obviously I think the team rallied behind him as well today."
The 14 strikeouts are a new career-high for the junior and a new Founders Park record, originally set by Sam Dyson in 2009. This was also the first time since March 8, 2016, that Hill has not allowed a walk. Hill was pleased that he was able to pitch such a great game, especially after the outing last week.
"It was definitely the best game I've ever pitched," Hill said. "My approach, really, after last week, was just to attack hitters, get ahead and just remember what's gotten me to this point, and that's what I tried to do out there, and I just tried to fill up the zone."
The bullpen continued Hill's strong start, as no Gamecock pitcher allowed a walk to the Bucs. Hunter Lomas came in and pitched two innings of one-hit ball, and Parker Coyne threw a 1-2-3 ninth to close things out, preserving the shutout.
Catcher Chris Cullen, who's worked with Hill over the years, was proud of how hard his teammate worked to throw such a strong performance this week.
"It was awesome," Cullen said. "I definitely think this was one of the best games I've caught ... He was a bulldog on the mound, he just knew he was going to come out and throw his stuff and attack the zone and not be scared of the opposing hitters."
While Hill pitched a gem, the Gamecocks took care of business on offense. They scored seven runs via the long ball, off the bats of Jonah Bride, LT Tolbert, Jacob Olson and Noah Campbell. The Gamecocks are now averaging more than two home runs per game through their first six games.
The home runs came from the one, five, six and eight hitters, which again showed the Gamecocks that they have power throughout the lineup, which is something Kingston really wanted to see last weekend.
South Carolina also saw improvements in places it has struggled with early in the season. The Gamecocks only left four men on base during the game, something they've continued to work on since opening weekend.
With the dominate pitching performance and another strong offensive showing, the Gamecocks feel like they're really clicking as a team this season. South Carolina is currently on a five-game win streak, and has outscored its opponents 43-6 during this stretch.
"We've got a real good vibe in our dugout right now," Kingston said. "Everybody's pulling for each other, guys are playing hard, guys are supporting each other and tonight was no different."
South Carolina and Charleston Southern will be back on Saturday for game two as the Gamecocks look to clinch the series. First pitch is at 2 p.m., and Cody Morris will take the mound for the Gamecocks.