South Carolina plays Furman today after weekend sweep of Albany
There is an unwritten rule in baseball never to mention a no-hitter while it is going on. But third baseman Chase Vergason said it was in the back of everyone’s mind during the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader against Albany, a game USC won 14-1.
Junior pitcher Forrest Koumas said he didn’t notice until the sixth inning, when someone made a comment about it and was immediately hushed by his teammates.
After a six-inning start by senior Colby Holmes, Koumas pitched the seventh and eighth, and junior Josh Knab made his USC debut in the ninth. The three pitchers combined to throw USC’s first no-hitter since March 26, 1975.
“It was neat to be a part of that,” USC coach Chad Holbrook said. “I’ve been in a couple games as a coach where we were one or two outs away. This is the first time in my 19 years that I’ve been a part of one. That was neat. It’s a great accomplishment for our pitching staff.”
After sweeping Albany, the Gamecocks will host Furman at Carolina Stadium at 4 p.m. today.
“Furman’s got a good team,” Holbrook said. “They’re off to a good start. They’ve beat some good people, so they’ll come in here with some confidence. We’ll have to be ready to play.
The Paladins (5-1) won all three games they played last weekend, against Miami of Ohio, Michigan State and Cincinnati.
Holmes retired the first nine hitters he faced before walking the leadoff hitter in the fourth inning Sunday afternoon. A throwing error by Vergason put runners at second and third with no outs, and a sacrifice fly gave Albany a 1-0.
The Gamecocks (5-1) were held hitless through four innings, but Vergason led off the fifth with a solo home run to tie the game. USC scored nine runs in the inning and added two more in the sixth.
With a comfortable lead, Holbrook decided to hand the ball to Koumas. The junior made one appearance in USC’s opening weekend series against Liberty, allowing a double and a walk, failing to record an out.
“We weren’t thinking about who we were going to put in the game based on the fact that there were no hits on the board,” Holbrook said. “We just felt like with the score the way it was we needed to get Forrest a clean inning or two.”
Holbrook added that the timing of Knab’s debut was also “not predetermined by any stretch of the imagination.”
Koumas struggled with control in his outing, walking three hitters in two innings. But Knab retired three consecutive hitters on grounders to short.
“It was amazing,” Knab said. “My first outing as a Gamecock and I got to be part of that, so it’s pretty exciting and a great way to start off my career here.”
Freshman Curt Britt also made his first pitching appearance for USC over the weekend, throwing four innings in Saturday’s 8-3 win. Britt had one plate appearance in the Liberty series, and he said the at-bat helped get rid of his nerves.
After sophomore Jordan Montgomery pitched the first five innings, Britt came on in the sixth and retired nine hitters in order. He ran into trouble in the ninth, hitting the leadoff batter and eventually allowing an RBI single.
Holbrook called Britt’s debut “special,” but the freshman was harder on himself.
“The best outcome would be to go out there, throw four innings and have 12 strikeouts, but that’s tough to do,” Britt said after the game. “I’m just glad it was a big day today.”
Schrock gains confidence: After recording one hit in 11 plate appearances in South Carolina’s first weekend of play, freshman Max Schrock had four RBI in the three games against Albany. His seven RBI for the season rank second on USC’s roster, and he leads the team with three stolen bases.
Asked if he considered moving Schrock down from the second spot in the batting order after the first weekend, Holbrook jokingly questioned whether moving him to the third spot would count as moving him down.
“He just needed to feel good about himself,” Holbrook said. “He’s a great hitter. I won’t get in his way ... I’m sure he’s walking away from the park feeling good about himself, and I would think he’ll continue to be a consistent hitter throughout the year.”