Pitching troubles continued for the Diamond Dawgs as they underwent their second series sweep of the season at No. 11 South Carolina (15-5, 4-2 SEC). Going into the series without its No. 1 and 2 starters, tri-captains Justin Pigott and Chad Crosswhite, Mississippi State (9-12, 1-5 SEC) sent senior Jesse Carver and junior college transfer Lee Swindle to the mound to make their first SEC starts.
On Friday, Carver was touched for seven earned runs on nine hits in his five innings of work as the Bulldogs dropped the series opener by a 9-1 score.
Carver issued three walks and recorded just four strikeouts.
MSU head coach Ron Polk credited the walks to the size of Sarge Frye Field.
“This is a tiny ballpark. We gave up seven walks and were pitching behind in the count,” Polk said. “You can’t do that in this park.”
Gamecocks junior right-hander Mike Cisco took the shutout into the eighth inning after a double by Mark Goforth and an RBI single by Grant Hogue.
Cisco grabbed his fourth win of the season after working a season-high seven and two-thirds innings, allowing five hits and recording five strikeouts.
Gamecocks head coach Ray Tanner was quick to praise Cisco’s performance.
“He’s a great competitor. He’s not the biggest or the strongest, but he maxes out his intangibles,” Tanner said. “He has really matured as a pitcher. He’s a veteran guy now, and most of the time he will keep himself out of trouble if you’ll make plays for him.”
On Saturday, the Bulldogs opened up the scoring in the third inning after Hogue and Nick Hardy had back-to-back singles, and Jason Nappi plated Hogue on a double play.
Swindle pitched six innings in his first SEC start, allowing five hits and four earned runs, including a home run by Gamecocks first baseman Justin Smoak. He also issued three walks and recorded one strikeout.
The junior college transfer retired the USC lineup in order in three of his six complete innings.
Polk said he saw strength in Swindle’s performance against a tough Gamecocks lineup.
“Lee did a great job today. It is hard to pitch in this ballpark,” Polk said. “They have a very good offensive lineup. We were trying to hold them down and get some run production.”
South Carolina finished with six hits, including a pair by Harvey Lail, while the Bulldogs were held to four hits with Hardy, Hogue, Tyler Moore and Jet Butler each having a hit apiece.
The Bulldogs did not have a hit after the fifth inning, something that Polk was quick to note.
“I thought today that we had a chance to win,” Polk said. “We have to find a way to score some runs. The road is tough. I thought we competed today and a had a chance to win the ballgame.”
The Gamecocks completed the sweep on Sunday with a 10-3 win.
MSU starter Ricky Bowen, fresh off his near-miss of a no-hitter, was touched for eight runs on eight hits in four innings.
Bowen issued three walks and recorded two strikeouts while freshman Forrest Moore threw three innings of scoreless relief. Crosswhite, who was recently delegated to the bullpen, was touched for a pair of runs in the eighth inning.
Designated hitter Phil Disher paced the Gamecocks’ offense with a grand slam in the third inning.
Four double plays prevented the Bulldogs from capitalizing on their 10 hits, as they had the bases loaded with one out in the first inning.
Sophomore third baseman Connor Powers batted in all three of MSU’s runs on a three-run blast to center field in the sixth inning. Nappi joined Powers in registering multiple hits, while Hogue’s first-inning single extended his current hitting streak to five games. Hogue has hit safely in 16 of the Bulldogs’ 21 games.
The Diamond Dawgs open a seven-game homestand with a midweek series against South Alabama. Game times for Tuesday and Wednesday are 6:30 p.m.
SEC play resumes Friday as the Bulldogs welcome in Georgia for a three-game, Super Bulldog series.