No. 6 South Carolina (18-6) crawled into Sunday’s series finale against Missouri (18-6) on a three-game losing streak and following a stretch of three extra inning games in its last four.
Carrying a lead into the bottom of the ninth inning for the second straight game, Gamecocks finished the job this go around, earning a 7-5 win.
“I have some good kids that really wanted to win very badly today,” Head coach Chad Holbrook said. “They had a chip on their shoulders after how the first two games went. We battled and competed and at the end of the day that is all you can ask them to do.”
Missouri is last in the SEC in team batting average, but a dynamic top to bottom pitching staff and solid defense had the Tigers undefeated in SEC play going into Sunday’s game.
South Carolina, now 4-2 in conference play, sought damage control Sunday following two straight losses to open the series in which the Gamecocks scored a total of just five runs. Head coach Chad Holbrook made lineup changes Saturday to in an attempt to end the scoring drought and while the Gamecocks had 10 hits, the team scored just three runs.
Sunday was a different story for the Gamecocks, who totaled 14 hits and seven runs off of a very capable Missouri pitching staff.
Missouri struck first with three runs in the first, eventually chasing starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt in the second inning. Schmidt had control issues giving up three unearned runs, four walks and a hit in just 1.2 innings. However, freshman reliever Brandon Murray fared much better.
In the longest outing of his college career, Murray baffled Tiger batters over 5.1 innings giving up just a single and a run. The right-hander lowered his ERA to 1.42 and earned the win to move to 2-0 on the season. If Murray stays consistent, he'll be another key part of South Carolina’s already deep bullpen.
Holbrook noticed.
“Brandon was terrific,” Holbrook said. “He gave us a chance to win and he is probably the MVP of the game … His curveball was outstanding, slider was good. It was a big-time performance for a freshman.”
Senior first baseman Kyle Martin continued his great play on both offense and defense, going 4-5 from the plate and making a series of solid defensive plays. His four hits tied a career high and extended his hit streak to 11 games. It was his fifth career four-hit game. Martin now leads the team in runs, hits, RBIs, doubles and slugging percentage.
Senior leftfielder Elliott Caldwell added two hits and an RBI in Sunday’s win. The Easley, South Carolina, native extended his on-base streak to 18 games. Hitting in the heart of the order, Martin and Caldwell have been the constant performers for an erratic Gamecock offense.
Sophomore centerfielder Gene Cone also bounced back after a rough week with two hits from the leadoff spot. Holbrook moved Cone down to the seventh hitter in the lineup for Saturday’s game before moving him back up on Sunday. After a torrid start, Cone has cooled down a bit but still has a .286 batting average and .423 on base percentage.
South Carolina will look to build on the win as they travel to Coastal Carolina for a matchup on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.