For the first time this season and in over a year, South Carolina clinched a SEC series. The Gamecocks defeated the Tennessee Volunteers by a score of 6-3 at Founders Park on Friday.
The win was largely due to stellar performances from pitcher Cody Morris and outfielder Carlos Cortes.
Head coach Mark Kingston had high praise for Morris’s performance after the game, and felt that his performance helped give the team some momentum throughout the night, similar to what Adam Hill was able to do on Thursday.
“Cody Morris was excellent tonight, really set the tone for us,” Kingston said. “Once again, when you get great starting pitching, everything seems to fall in line behind it.”
Morris pitched six innings with only four hits, one run, one walk and one error. He also struck out five, which was his second best of the season.
“He had command tonight … that’s why it was hard for them to score,” Kingston said.
Morris said he didn't make any adjustments to his pitching and was just trying to throw like normal to help his team get the win.
“I didn’t change anything mechanically. I was just trying to compete in the zone … and locate my fast ball,” said Morris.
At the plate, Cortes was the standout player for the Gamecocks. He finished the game with four at-bats, one run, three hits and two RBIs, a performance he desperately needed. He entered Friday's game in another slump but was able to work his way out of it in a big way.
“Carlos had a really good night. Probably his best game of the year,” Kingston said. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that when he hits, we tend to score runs.”
With the game being scoreless through four innings, Cortes hit a home run to left field to score the game’s first run of the night. It sparked the Gamecocks’ next five runs, with two more coming off of home runs, to help set the tone for the rest of the game.
The win not only allowed South Carolina to clinch their first SEC series of the Mark Kingston era, but it also gave the team some momentum and confidence as it continues its conference schedule.
“We’ve just been working really hard, and trying to stay positive,” Morris said. “We got a lot of confidence right now, and it’s definitely good going into tomorrow.”
The Gamecocks look for their first SEC sweep in over a year as they host Tennessee in the final game of the series on Saturday. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Founders Park.