South Carolina baseball (13-2, 1-5 SEC) suffered its second straight Southeastern Conference series loss of the season but managed to avoid the sweep after a dominant performance in the series finale.
The Gamecocks suffered a colossal 22-6 loss on Friday night, which later saw the exit of former head coach Paul Mainieri from the coaching staff. Interim head coach Monte Lee led the team in the final two games, which saw a close 3-2 loss on Saturday and a 9-4 win on Sunday.
Gamecocks suffer overwhelming loss Friday to Razorbacks
South Carolina baseball suffered its sixth straight loss of the season, dropping its Southeastern Conference home opener 22-6 to Arkansas in seven innings. The Razorbacks decimated the Gamecock pitching staff with 14 hits and 22 runs, including six home runs.
Arkansas took a 4-0 lead in the first inning after junior outfielder Damian Ruiz walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch to start the contest. An RBI single from junior shortstop Camden Kozeal scored Ruiz to take a 1-0 lead.
Later in the inning, a three-run home run from senior outfielder Maika Niu contributed to the productive 4-0 first inning for Arkansas.
The Razorbacks continued to prevail against junior right-hander Josh Gunther in the second inning after junior third baseman TJ Pompey walked and later advanced to third after a steal and wild pitch. Back-to-back home runs from Ruiz and Kozeal gave Arkansas a commanding 7-0 lead.
In the fourth inning after the Razorbacks loaded the bases with no outs. A bases loaded walk from senior right fielder Zach Stewart, followed by back-to-back doubles from Niu and junior first baseman Reese Robinett added to another explosive inning.
Singles from junior second baseman Nolan Souza and Ruiz followed in the top of the fourth inning. Souza scored on a dropped fly ball by freshman second baseman Will Craddock. The eight-run fourth inning gave Arkansas a 17-0 lead against the Gamecocks.
South Carolina saw its first base runner since the first in the bottom of the fourth inning after a walk from fifth-year catcher Talmadge LeCroy with one out. The Gamecocks would avoid a shutout after sophomore shortstop KJ Scobey homered to right field.
After fifth-year designated hitter Logan Sutter reached second on a dropped fly ball, senior outfielder Luke Yuhasz blasted his own two-run home run.
Arkansas would go on to add three more runs in the top of the fifth inning with Pompey notching the Razorbacks' fifth home run of the evening.
Souza scored off a sacrifice fly from junior catcher Ryder Helfrick to raise the Razorbacks' lead to 20-4. Niu continued his stellar play in the sixth inning after he blasted his second home run of the game.
South Carolina would go on to add two more runs in the seventh inning courtesy of a home run from senior catcher Jake Randolph before falling 22-6 to Arkansas.
Gamecocks fall in extra innings in Monte Lee's first game as interim head coach
Arkansas edged out South Carolina in a 3-2 win in extra innings to secure the series in Monte Lee’s first game as head coach after Paul Mainieri parted ways with South Carolina on Saturday morning.
"It was a really tough day, considering how it started," Lee said. "I feel so bad for Coach Mainieri in how it ended."
Junior right-handed pitcher Amp Phillips started on the mound for the Gamecocks, while sophomore left-handed pitcher Hunter Dietz started the game for Arkansas.
Ruiz hit a solo homerun over the centerfield wall in the third inning for Arkansas to take the early 1-0 lead.
In the fourth inning, Junior outfielder Tyler Bak took away a would-be home run from Nui on a leaping grab in centerfield to keep the score at 1-0 after Ruiz hit a solo homerun over the centerfield wall in the third inning for Arkansas to take the early lead.
In the fifth inning, Yuhasz took a walk, senior outfielder Ethan Lizama bunted him over and sophomore infielder Beau Hollins cashed the run in with single up the middle to tie the game at one apiece in the fifth inning.
Phillips had one of his best outings so far this season on Saturday, pitching seven innings, giving up three hits, a run and striking out six batters against an elite Razorback lineup.
"Couldn't have asked for more from Amp Phillips" Lee said, "He gave us everything he possibly could have given us today."
With two outs in the seventh inning, Hollins hit a double down the third base line, which drove Dietz out of the game. The next batter, Bak, came through with a go-ahead RBI single off the left field wall to drive in Hollins and take the lead 2-1.
Junior left-handed pitcher, Alex Valentin replaced Phillips in the eighth inning, where he struck out two batters and secured the 2-1 lead going into the ninth inning.
Valentin came back out in the ninth inning in a save situation. Valentin found himself in a jam with two outs and a man on third, and a devastating error from Scobey allowed the Razorbacks to tie it and send the game into extra innings.
In the tenth inning, Pompey doubled to start the inning, and a bunt-single from junior infielder Nolan Souza put runners on the corners with no outs. Kozeal knocked a run in with an RBI groundout to take the lead in extra innings.
Arkansas had a clean inning in the bottom of the tenth inning, securing a 3-2 comeback win for the Razorbacks and winning the weekend series.
Gamecocks salvage Sunday matchup 9-4 against Arkansas
The Gamecocks picked up their first SEC win of the season against the Razorbacks and avoided a second consecutive sweep. In the 9-4 win, South Carolina recorded 12 hits and four home runs.
Junior right-handed pitcher Brandon Stone moved back into the starting rotation and he provided South Carolina with 5.1 innings of work, giving up two earned runs with five strikeouts and two walks.
"I just love a player like Brandon, just taking the initiative and telling me that, 'Hey, I want the baseball. I want to lead us to victory tomorrow,'" Lee said.
Craddock was the first Gamecock to reach on Sunday after a one-out double in the bottom of the first. The bases were loaded for Hollins following a walk from Scobey and a hit-by-pitch from LeCroy. An RBI groundout from Hollins gave South Carolina the early 1-0 lead in the first inning.
The bottom of the order for South Carolina provided more opportunities in the second inning after Randolph and Yuhasz reached. The Gamecocks took a 2-0 lead after an RBI single by Bak.
The Gamecocks hit home runs in the third and fourth innings from LeCroy, Randoph and Bak to help provide South Carolina with a 5-0 lead after four innings.
Arkansas finally broke through in the top of the fifth after a solo shot from Souza. An infield single from Helfrick and a walk from Stewart put two runners on with no outs in the sixth inning. Helfrick scored off an RBI double from Robinett to cut into the Gamecocks' lead 5-2.
Sophomore left-hander Logan Prisco entered in relief in the sixth and inherited runners on second and third with one out but managed to escape the inning a preserve South Carolina's 5-2 lead.
Randolph blasted a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to give South Carolina a five-run lead. It was his second home run of the day and third of the series. Yuhasz singled and reached second on a throwing error by Arkansas and later scored off an RBI double from Bak to take an 8-2 lead.
South Carolina tacked on another run to its lead after three one-out singles from Hollins, Sutter and Randolph loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh. Hollins scored off a fielder’s choice from Yuhasz to push the lead to 9-4.
Arkansas had back-to-back singles from Souza and Diaz in the top of the ninth inning and looked to make one last attempt at a series sweep against the Gamecocks. With one out, junior right-hander Parker Marlatt inherited both runners and struck out the last two Razorback batters to secure South Carolina’s first SEC win of the season.
What's next?
South Carolina travels to Charlotte, North Carolina, to take on No. 14 North Carolina in a neutral site matchup at Truist Field. The game will start at 6:30 p.m. and will be streaming on ACC Network X.