No. 13 South Carolina came into Thursday’s series opener against Mississippi State seeking a fast start to an SEC series for the first time in three weeks.
However, the Gamecocks ran into trouble in Starksville as they were trounced by the Bulldogs by a score of 13-2.
Sophomore Wil Crowe (3-3) had his worst outing of the season, going just 2.2 innings while giving up eight runs, six of them earned. The right-hander raised his ERA to 3.83 in the loss.
(Wil Crowe) just didn't have it,” head coach Chad Holbrook said. “He was up in the strike zone and didn't have command of his pitches. On top of that, we didn't play great defense behind him. It was just a tough night. Mississippi State—there’s not much more to say—they kicked our tail."
Mississippi State started the scoring with two unearned runs on two South Carolina errors in the bottom of the first inning. The Gamecocks finished with three errors in the game.
Mississippi State shortstop Ryan Gridley and second baseman Josh Holland—the seven and eight hitters—went a combined 6-10 from the plate. The two accounted for six of the team’s ten RBIs and three runs.
The Bulldogs broke the game open with a six-run third inning highlighted by a three-run double by Holland. The Gamecocks scored runs in the fourth and sixth innings to pull within six before giving up five runs in the next three innings.
South Carolina is now 5-5 in SEC play as they continue to struggle at the plate. Although they managed eight hits, the Gamecocks managed only two runs off the Bulldogs’ midweek starter.
Senior Kyle Martin first baseman doubled in the top of the fourth and scored after two wild pitches. Senior left fielder Elliott Caldwell went 2-4 to record his team-leading 12th multi-hit game of the season. The two are leading the Gamecocks in just about every major offensive category.
Other than the two seniors, the Gamecocks have lacked consistent hitting and have struggled mightily with runners in scoring position as of late.
South Carolina will look to bounce back with two more games in Starksville. Friday’s game two was moved up to 4:00 pm due to the threat of inclement weather. Junior lefty Jack Wynkoop will get the start, looking for a better outing than Crowe. The series will conclude on Saturday due to Easter with a 3:00 pm start time.