Price, Roth record no decisions in starts
Matt Price was throwing a no-hitter, but it was the sixth inning and the bases were loaded. The closer turned starter had struck out seven in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, but hit three batters and walked another three in the process.
“He overpowered a few of their hitters and then all of a sudden, he lost control, hit a wall, whatever the case may be,” said coach Ray Tanner. “You have to be a little bit concerned, but I’ve been around Matt Price for a while and he normally gets things straightened out when he struggles a little bit.”
Price’s last walk brought in a run and Tanner went to his bullpen, as he did throughout the series sweep of Virginia Military Institute, calling on reliever Ethan Carter. With starting pitching that faltered at times in the series, the bullpen was crucial for the sweep of VMI.
Carter, who rejoined the team after being dismissed by Tanner last year, struck out the first batter he faced and escaped from the inning allowing only one run with the help of a throw from freshman left fielder Tanner English that kept a second runner from scoring and VMI from taking the lead.
Carter said afterward that it felt good to be wearing a Gamecocks uniform again, and Tanner said his return has brought another reliable arm to the bullpen.
“Things didn’t go as we wanted (them) to while he was here the first time,” Tanner said. “He wanted to get back in the program. We gave him that opportunity, and hopefully he’ll take advantage of it. So far so good, but it’s nice to have him out there. He’s a guy who can pitch and he can pitch a lot of innings and give you a lot of appearances. Hopefully it’s a good sign of things to come.”
Price cited arm fatigue for the lack of control toward the end of his outing.
“It doesn’t really concern me,” Price said. “I just know I’m in pretty good shape, but I need to work a little bit harder. The arm was just a little bit tired. My mechanics and stuff started to go awry at the end when I was trying to find my location. I felt good that entire game until about that fifth, sixth inning.”
While the new faces in the infield were the focus of the Gamecocks’ opening weekend, the South Carolina pitching proved to be the backbone of the team, despite Price’s slip and left-hander Michael Roth’s no decision in Game 1. In Friday’s opener, Roth threw six strikeouts in six innings, allowing four hits and a run. Tyler Webb followed in the seventh and pitched into the ninth, striking out another four and earning the 3-2 win. Closer Forrest Koumas took over for Webb in the ninth, striking out one and earning the save.
Colby Holmes was the only starting pitcher to earn a win with five shutout innings in Saturday’s second game, which quickly became a rout after the Gamecocks piled on seven runs in the fourth inning. Tanner used the blowout as the opportunity to give five new USC pitchers a chance on the mound, as the Gamecocks cruised to a 13-1 victory in the weekend finale. He said the pitching was a crucial part of the sweep, especially the first two wins, both of which USC won by only a run.
“It gave us a chance to win,” Tanner said. “We have three wins under our belt and two of the games could have gone in a different way. Our pitching staff gave us the chance to win.”
Marzilli starts strong: Veteran center fielder Evan Marzilli went six for 12 in the series at the leadoff spot and had three runs and two RBIs, including a two-run triple off the center field wall in the Game 3. In a 1-1 Game 1, Marzilli got on base in the eighth and made it to third after a single and a sac fly. When freshman third baseman LB Dantzler hit a single, Marzilli was the winning run.
“I just went up there to see what the infielders were going to play,” Marzilli said of his last at-bat in Game 1. “If they were playing me back, I was going to [bunt] — that was my original intention, but the key there is just getting on base and getting that run across.”
Uniform snafu: Roth and Tanner explained after Friday’s game that due to problems with an equipment order, the team was almost forced to play Opening Day in its practice jerseys. Tanner laughed about the mix-up and thanked T&T Sporting Goods for closing shop all day Friday to stitch on names and numbers for the team in time for Opening Day festivities.
“T&T bailed us out in a big way,” Tanner said. “They deserve a shout out. ... They were clutch today getting us dressed up so we looked OK.”