No. 5 South Carolina traveled to BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte, North Carolina, to take on No. 13 UNC Chapel Hill in a battle of the Carolinas. Nothing was clicking for the Gamecocks as they fell to the Tar Heels 15-0 in a lopsided defeat.
South Carolina sent junior Taylor Widener to the mound looking to get a quality start out of the right-hander. He retired the first nine batters in order with three strikeouts, and the team appeared to be poised for a good night. Widener opened the fourth inning with a leadoff walk to outfielder Brian Miller which just started the downward spiral for the Gamecocks. With bases loaded, second baseman Eli Sutherland smashed a three-run double to make it 3-0, ending Widener’s night. Widener went 3 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on one hit and four strike outs.
The Gamecocks emptied their bullpen, using eight pitchers to try to salvage the game. They didn't find any success.
South Carolina did not get much going for them on offense as well. They recorded seven hits and had plenty of opportunities to score, but they left seven men on base as the Tar Heels secured the shutout.
Center fielder Tyler Ramirez and shortstop Logan Warmoth both had strong nights for the Tar Heels. Ramirez had one hit and two RBI while Warmoth recorded two hits and one RBI.
A lot of the Tar Heels runs came from walks, drawing 10 during the game and scoring on eight of them. In the fourth, North Carolina had loaded the bases with walks and were hitless before the 3-RBI double from Sutherland. The Tar Heels recorded 11 hits but really capitalized on the walks.
North Carolina starter Hunter Williams had a career-high start, going 6 1/3 innings for the first time . He held the Gamecocks to six hits and one walk while fanning four. He improved to 2-1 on the season with the win.
The Tar Heels sealed the win in the ninth, with a bases clearing triple from pinch hitter Kyle Datres that extended their lead to 14-0. A wild pitch scored the final run to finish the Gamecocks.
South Carolina falls to 28-6 on the season and will travel to Georgia this weekend.