The Daily Gamecock

Short Hops: Week 2

How the rest of the SEC, plus Clemson, fared this weekend

Clemson: Bats come alive
No wild pitch losses this weekend for the No. 12 Tigers. Clemson (5-1) raked at the plate, taking games against Cincinnati and Charleston Southern by a combined score of 34-5 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium before knocking off Michigan State 8-0 on Sunday at Greenville’s Fluor Field. – James Kratch
 
Florida: At the top
The Gators looked every bit of the top-ranked team they are this week. UF (7-0) thumped Florida Atlantic in a midweek game and then swept Boston College over the weekend. Things are about to get tough, though. No. 1 Florida will play No. 11 Florida State tonight in Tampa and then host Miami in a three-game series over this weekend. – JK
 
Georgia: Still struggling
A week after being swept at Stetson, UGA (2-5) avoided the brooms in its three-game home series with Baylor. However, with a chance to take a rubber game win against the No. 16 Bears, the Bulldogs went belly-up, falling behind 10-0 early en route to a 19-12 loss. – JK
 
Kentucky: Back above water
A 4-1 week helped the Wildcats ease the pain of an embarrassing winless opening week showing in Charleston and get to .500. UK (4-4) defeated in-state rival Morehead State and Eastern Michigan in the midweek before taking a weekend series from Illinois-Chicago with a 3-1 win Sunday. – JK
 
Tennessee: Flying high
A 9-6 loss to Wisconsin-Milwaukee not withstanding, the Vols are looking pretty good. A three-game weekend sweep of Canisius has UT at 5-1 to start the season. That’s the best start on Rocky Top since 2003. – JK
 
Vanderbilt: Sweep foiled
A 5-2 Sunday defeat kept the No. 2 Commodores from pulling off what would’ve been a very impressive three-game thumping of No. 9 Stanford. Now the ’Dores (7-1) enter a 10-game nonconference stretch before opening the SEC campaign against Mississippi State. – JK
 
Alabama: Tide sways
After starting with four straight victories, the Crimson Tide swung to the other end of the spectrum in its second weekend, losing all three games, including a 12-4 thumping at UCF on Sunday. Alabama (4-3) will attempt to bounce back with a midweek home game with Southern Miss before a home series with Northwestern State. – Ryan Velasquez
 
Arkansas: Rolling along
The Razorbacks kept their strong start going with a three-game sweep of Utah over the weekend. Powered by senior Kyle Robinson and his .458 batting average, Arkansas (6-0) will aim to remain hot with a two-game home series with McNeese State before taking on Wisconsin-Milwaukee at home over the weekend. – RV
 
Auburn: Solid start
Other than a Friday slipup against Radford, the Tigers kept their early success intact with wins over the Highlanders on Saturday and Sunday. AU (5-2) faces a pair of home games with Bethune-Cookman this week before heading to the College of Charleston Tournament over the weekend. – RV
 
LSU: Roaring early
The Bayou Bengals look as impressive as ever, coming in with a perfect record after outscoring their opponents 82-18 through the first two weeks. The next seven days should be no different as LSU (7-0) takes on SE Louisiana and Mississippi Valley State before a weekend series with Princeton. – RV
 
Ole Miss: Almost perfect
The Rebels saw their undefeated start come to an end Saturday in an 8-2 loss at Houston but rebounded to clinch the series a day later. Ole Miss (7-1) won’t face any serious challenges this week with home games against Austin Peay and a three-game series with Tulane. – RV
 
Mississippi State: Offense aplenty
Despite missing out on a sweep of Belmont, the Bulldogs enter the week swinging the bat as well as anyone in the country. After eight games, MSU (7-1) has scored 66 runs, helped particularly by senior Jonathan Ogden’s three homers, and should keep up the offensive barrage against Alcorn State tonight. – RV

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