USC only needed seven innings to get a win in the second game of the doubleheader
South Carolina swept Saturday’s doubleheader against Georgia, winning 12-2 in a run rule-shortened second game to lock up a series victory.
The Bulldogs scored first, going up 1-0 in the second inning on a home run by Parks Harber. After that, it was pretty much all Gamecocks. They ended the shutout in the third inning, tying the game at 1-1 when Will Tippett hit a leadoff single and later scored on a double from Braylen Wimmer. A pair of wild pitches got Wimmer home to put USC up 2-1, Cole Messina walked and Ethan Petry went yard to make the score 4-1.
The Cocks tacked on another run in the next inning, after Jonathan French singled to start things off and later scored on another wild pitch to push the lead to 5-1. They really broke things open in the fifth, more than doulbing their run total. Gavin Casas took a leadoff walk, Messina knocked a base hit, and then Petry homered again to put Carolina up 8-1. Talmadge LeCroy followed with a single, French walked, and Tippett walked with one out to load the bases. Will McGillis then doubled to bring LeCroy and French home, making it a 10-1 game, and Wimmer singled to bring in South Carolina’s final two runs of the game. UGA’s final run came in the sixth, after Connor Tate doubled to start the inning and later scored on a single by Harber.
Gamecocks starter Noah Hall pitched the whole game, allowing seven hits and two runs. He didn’t walk any batters, struck five out, and got the win, improving to 4-0. Dawgs starter Liam Sullivan went 3.1 innings and gave up six hits and five runs. He walked two batters, struck out four, and took the loss, making him 3-1.
Petry led USC at the plate with four hits and five RBI, while Harber had two hits and two RBI to pace Georgia.
The Cocks improve to 19-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play, while the Bulldogs are now 13-6 on the season and 0-2 in the SEC. Carolina will go for the sweep on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. in Athens.