If John Jones had not already won over the hearts of Gamecock Nation, he definitely accomplished that in the weekend series against Arkansas. The sophomore catcher and designated hitter had a five-RBI performance Sunday that included a dramatic three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Jones' clutch hitting enabled the Gamecocks to come back from a 6-1 deficit to earn an 8-6 victory to sweep the No. 13 Razorbacks.
Freshman right-hander Adam Hill came into Sunday's outing having allowed just one earned run through his first four starts, but he allowed five against Arkansas. Much of Hill's success in those previous starts came from his ability to locate his fastball around the perimeter of the zone, but he suddenly lost his command after retiring his first eight batters.
With the bases loaded in the third, Hill allowed Arkansas shortstop Cody Scroggins to score on a wild pitch. Arkansas third baseman Carson Shaddy, who had hit Gamecock pitching well all weekend, singled back up the middle to drive in two more runs.
Arkansas tacked on three more runs in the fourth and knocked Hill out of the game before he recorded an out that inning. Hill finished with five strikeouts and one walk.
That momentum shifted in the bottom of the fifth when outfielder Gene Cone prevented Arkansas first baseman Cullen Gassaway from scoring on a hit to right field with a perfect throw to the plate. The Gamecocks responded by scoring three runs in the bottom half of the inning, with two of the runs coming on a triple off the bat of center fielder Dom Thompson-Williams.
Jones' game-wining home run helped the Gamecocks achieve their first major comeback win of the season. That kind of gritty, always-confident brand of baseball was a trademark of the successful South Carolina teams over the last decade, but was perhaps something that the 2015 team was missing.
The Gamecocks late inning rally came off one of Arkansas' best relief pitchers, All-SEC First-Teamer Zach Jackson. Head coach Chad Holbrook said of their win, "The fact that they did it against probably the most elite relief pitcher in college baseball tells me something about my kids' toughness and determination and that Gamecock-moxie that we talk about here all the time."