South Carolina aced their biggest test of the season, sweeping the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels on the road this weekend. The series got bumped up to a Thursday start to give the players and coaches a day off on Easter Sunday. South Carolina’s starting rotation combined for 26 strikeouts in 20.2 innings to shut down a productive Ole Miss lineup.
South Carolina improved to 23-2 on the season and now sits a perfect 6-0 in the SEC after sweeping Arkansas the previous weekend. That is the best start for the Gamecocks in SEC play in the program's history.
Thursday: Gamecocks 5, Ole Miss 1
Outfielder Gene Cone gave South Carolina a spark at the top of the lineup all weekend and went 3-4 with a home run on Thursday. His solo home run in the second inning was his first of the season.
The Gamecocks got off to a quick start by scoring two runs in the first inning. Left fielder Alex Destino and third baseman Jonah Bride each drove in runs.
That two-run cushion was all that starter Clarke Schmidt would need, working 6.2 innings and allowing just one earned run. Schmidt fanned eight batters without giving up any walks as he improved to 6-0 on the season.
South Carolina was patient with Ole Miss pitchers and drew seven walks on the day. Every South Carolina starter collected at least one hit.
Friday: South Carolina 9, Ole Miss 5
Baseball philosophy says that fastball command is the last thing to come back when pitchers recover from Tommy John surgery. Freshman Braden Webb has flashed first-round stuff in his return to the mound after going under the knife in 2014, but the command has been inconsistent at times. On Friday Gamecock fans got a glimpse at just how special he can be when he is locating all of his pitches.
After Webb walked two batters and allowed two runs in a rough first inning, it looked like it might be a short outing for the right-hander, but then he retired the next 17 batters. Webb settled down and really got into a rhythm with his mechanics, working both sides of the plate with his fastball and finishing opposing hitters off with a knockout curveball. He piled up 14 strikeouts, the highest total by a Gamecock pitcher since 2004.
Despite falling behind in the first inning, the Gamecocks rallied behind Webb's dominant performance, scoring nine runs on 14 hits. Freshman catcher Chris Cullen collected three hits on the day, including an RBI-double in the fifth inning.
Saturday: South Carolina 4, Ole Miss 0
Freshman Adam Hill was stellar once again for the Gamecocks, working six shutout innings and allowing just four hits. The right-hander continued to show poise and composure on the mound despite being new to SEC competition.
South Carolina scored three runs in the first inning and knocked Ole Miss starting pitcher Andy Pagnozzi out in the fourth inning. Head coach Mike Bianco then elected to go with closer Wyatt Short with a runner on third and one out. The aggressive move paid off for the Rebels, as Short got out of the inning unscathed and held the Gamecocks to just one run in 5.2 innings. Still, Ole Miss never clicked offensively, and the Gamecocks never surrendered their early lead.