South Carolina baseball (20-22, 5-13 SEC) defeated Presbyterian 9-3 Tuesday night at Founders Park, getting back into the win column after being swept by Mississippi State over the weekend.
“We played really well tonight,” interim head coach Monte Lee said. “Swung the bats well, pitched it well, played great defensively and got the win.”
The Gamecocks opted for a bullpen game, with freshman Patrick Dudley making the first start of his college career. Freshman Tucker Meredith started his fourth game of the season for the Blue Hose.
After freshman shortstop Bo Moody was hit by a pitch, sophomore first baseman Matthew Rollison tagged Dudley for a two-run homer to give Presbyterian an early lead. The Gamecocks responded in the bottom of the first inning, with a groundout from junior third baseman Dawson Harman scoring junior second baseman Patrick Evans to put South Carolina on the board.
Sophomore Connor Chicoli replaced Dudley in the second inning. The Gamecocks tied the game in the bottom of the frame, as fifth-year first baseman Logan Sutter scoring on a wild pitch, coming around to score after a double to lead off the inning.
A two-out, two-run homer from sophomore shortstop KJ Scobey, his seventh of the season, gave South Carolina a 4-2 lead in the third inning. Senior right fielder Luke Yuhasz extended the lead in the fourth inning with a solo blast, his fourth home run of the season.
After giving up a single to Blue Hose junior center fielder James Green in the second inning, Chicoli retired nine straight batters.
“Felt like the guys had my back,” Chicoli said. “I felt really good out there, just pounding the zone, just doing what I do.”
In the bottom of the fifth, a single from Sutter scored senior designated hitter and Presbyterian transfer Jake Randolph to give South Carolina a 6-2 advantage. The Gamecocks continued to pile it on in the inning, with a double from senior left fielder Ethan Lizama scoring Sutter. Yuhasz followed up with a double of his own, scoring Lizama to give South Carolina an 8-2 lead.
In the sixth inning, junior pitcher Parker Marlatt replaced Chicoli for the Gamecocks. Rollison reached on an error from Scobey, before junior right fielder Amman Dewberry singled to give Presbyterian runners on first and third with one out. After junior infielder Holden Baker struck out for the Blue Hose, Rollison scored on a wild pitch to score Presbyterian’s third run of the night.
Lizama went yard in the bottom of the seventh, his second extra-base hit of the day, to give South Carolina a 9-3 lead. The blast was Lizama’s second of the season.
After junior Josh Gregoire pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning for the Gamecocks, sophomore Cooper Parks retired the side in the ninth to close out the win for South Carolina.
What's next?
South Carolina will return to conference play as it hosts Kentucky for a three-game set. The first game will be Friday at 7 p.m., and it will be broadcast on SEC Network+.