In a weekend full of injuries, the South Carolina baseball team was able to work through a shuffled lineup and find timely hits to complete the three-game sweep over Tennessee.
For head coach Mark Kingston, having so many different players step up was key to them getting the wins this weekend.
"Just means we played really well this weekend; we found ways to win," Kingston said. "If you have 'Carolina' across your chest, you should expect to play well and win, no matter what your last name is. If you're a Gamecock, you should expect to go out there and help us win the game and that's our mindset."
The Gamecocks were able to start off the weekend with a big night from Adam Hill. After sitting out last weekend in Georgia due to shoulder tendonitis, Hill found his command and looked right at home on the mound. He threw five no-hit innings, walked four and struck out four.
On Thursday night, South Carolina was led by Jonah Bride, Chris Cullen and Riley Hogan. Cullen walked in the first run of the series, then had a big two-RBI single in the third to give the Gamecocks a comfortable lead. Hogan, who followed Cullen in Thursday's lineup, had a two-RBI single of his own in the first to put South Carolina up 3-0 early. Having players like Cullen and Hogan step up in times and places they're not used to is big for the Gamecocks moving forward.
"Our mindset before the game was players play, ballplayers can play anywhere and that's the way we need to approach this thing," Kingston said. "I think that speaks to the unselfishness of this team right now. To me, that's a very important trait for a program ... We have a lot of guys right now that are selling out for the team and that's why we had a great week."
A similar story followed on Friday as the hitters were motivated by their starting pitchers' performance. Carlos Cortes broke out of a slump with a deep solo home run in the fourth inning to break the scoreless game. Danny Blair followed in the next inning with a solo shot of his own, his first of the season. The Gamecocks added two more runs in both the fifth and sixth to secure the win.
Cody Morris had another solid start, one that Kingston said was probably the best he's seen Morris throw. He pitched six innings of one-run ball with four hits, five strikeouts and just one walk. Having both Morris and Hill throw so well on their respective nights was key in getting the offense to click.
The story was a little different on Saturday. Ridge Chapman got the start and didn't have his best stuff, lasting three and two-thirds innings and gave up three runs on two hits while walking four and striking out four. Tennessee took its first lead of the series in the fourth, but South Carolina rallied back to get the win.
The Gamecocks tied it in the seventh as Riley Hogan drew a walk with bases loaded to walk in a run. Then in the eighth, Jacob Olson launched a double off the right field wall to plate one. A few batters later, Matt Williams doubled to a similar spot to bring home two and give the Gamecocks a comfortable 6-3 lead.
Down by two, the crowd was really the motivating factor for the Gamecocks to spark the comeback. Kingston credited the energy of both the fans and the team for helping South Carolina come back to complete the sweep.
"That game [Saturday], that's why I came to South Carolina, that's why I wanted to be a Gamecock. The combination of our team playing with that kind of will and that crowd being into the game as much as it was to me, that's what South Carolina baseball is," Kingston said. "When I think of South Carolina baseball at its best, that's what it is. It's players playing with that kind of heart and will, and it's a crowd that helped will a win with them."
South Carolina (17-11, 4-5 SEC) is now riding a four-game win streak and will now try to continue that momentum into Tuesday as it takes on North Carolina in Charlotte.