Bats quiet again in second straight defeat
However, this was not the case on Tuesday night, as Carolina fell to the Paladins 4-2 at Fluor Field in Greenville.
USC, which had won 17 straight midweek games before Tuesday, could not find a spark at the plate as they only had six hits against the Paladins.
Furman got on the board in the second inning after designated hitter Taylor Johnson scored on a balk from Gamecock starting pitcher Adam Westmoreland.
Catcher Paul Nitto's RBI single later in the inning would extend the Paladins lead to 2-0.
Westmoreland went two innings and allowed two runs, both of which were earned.
Taylor Johnson, who came into the game batting just .160, went 3-3. His bases loaded RBI single extended Furman's lead to 3-0 in the fifth inning.
After striking out second baseman Kevin O'Leary, Gamecock reliever Jose Mata issued a bases loaded walk to shortstop J.B. Jenkins that extended the lead to 4-0.
Furman starting pitcher Daniel Stallsmith was stellar as he did not give up a single earned run in 5.2 innings of work. The Paladins bullpen only allowed one hit in relief of Stallsmith.
Carolina did not record a hit until the fifth inning when leftfielder Evan Marzilli hit a double to right field.
It appeared as though the Gamecock bats finally got going in the sixth inning after third baseman Adrian Morales and catcher Robert Beary each drove in a run to cut the Furman lead to 4-2, but the Paladin bullpen quickly shut USC down after getting Marzilli to ground out to end the inning.
South Carolina only recorded one hit after the sixth inning.
John Taylor kept the Gamecocks in the game by pitching three scoreless innings in relief of Mata. Taylor also recorded three strikeouts.
The victory on Tuesday night broke a five game losing streak for the Paladins (7-11), while it was the second straight loss for coach Ray Tanner and the Gamecocks (11-3).
This was USC's first midweek loss since April 22, 2009 and it was the first time Carolina has lost at Fluor Field in six years.