The South Carolina Gamecocks dealt Mississippi State’s Diamond Dawgs their first series loss in SEC play this weekend, winning two of three games in front of an announced weekend attendance of more than 10,000.Friday
The Bulldogs were dealt their largest SEC loss ever as the Gamecocks pounded out 25 hits for a dominating 20-3 win.
Sophomore starter Aaron Weatherford earned his first loss of the season as he was charged with seven of the Gamecocks’ earned runs and allowed 10 hits.
Freshman Greg Houston was responsible for six earned runs on 15 hits. He also recorded six strikeouts in 3.2 innings.
Gamecocks ace Harris Honeycutt recorded eight strikeouts and allowed seven hits, while relief pitcher Alex Farotto struck out seven of the eight batters he faced and allowed no runs in his two innings of work.
“Honeycutt was outstanding tonight,” Bulldogs head coach Ron Polk said. “We had a few opportunities early on, but we weren’t able to do much with them.”
Mississippi State’s Brandon Turner had two of the Bulldogs’ eight hits in the game, while Gamecocks shortstop Reese Havens went 5-for-6 with four RBIs.
Mississippi State struck early in the first inning, scoring one run on Turner’s first career triple and another on a ground out by catcher Edward Easley.
In the second inning, Travis Jones and Robbie Grinestaff both scored to tie the game when Havens reached on a fielder’s choice and advanced to second on a throwing error by center fielder Mark Goforth.
Weatherford allowed one run in the third inning as junior Phil Disher drove in a run with a single to left center field.
South Carolina scored two runs in the fifth inning as Darnell opened the inning with a single and scored on a double by Justin Smoak. Grinestaff followed with a single to send Smoak home.
The Gamecocks pounded out five runs on five hits in the sixth inning, including a two-run home run by Darnell and a solo homer by Disher. Houston gave up three more runs in the seventh inning including a two-run home run to Kline.
The Diamond Dawgs scored their lone run of the last eight innings in the bottom of the seventh inning when Rea doubled and scored on an RBI single by Turner.
South Carolina closed out the game with another five runs and seven hits in the ninth inning.
Saturday
The Bulldogs evened the series with a 6-5 win over the Gamecocks in their first extra innings home game of the season.
Goforth hit the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the 12th inning, going 3-for-6 on the night with two RBIs.
“We got a key hit, and we executed well today,” Polk said. “I knew if Goforth could just put the ball up the middle, we could score Conner Powers.”
Freshman Conner Powers put the Dawgs on the scoreboard first in the fourth inning, with his sixth home run of the season. Left fielder Joseph McCaskill followed with a single and scored on an RBI double by Andy Rice.
Easley and first baseman Mitch Moreland opened the fifth inning with back-to-back walks and both scored when McCaskill singled up the middle.
The Gamecocks scored three runs in the third inning as Darnell and Smoak hit back-to-back singles. Darnell scored on an RBI single from left fielder Jon Willard.
South Carolina extended its lead when Andrew Crisp opened the fourth inning with a single, and Jones followed with a double. Crisp came in for the run when Havens grounded out to first. Harvey Lail batted Jones in on a sacrifice bunt.
The Gamecocks tied the game at 5-5 in the sixth inning. Disher and Crisp opened the inning with singles. Disher scored when Havens singled to left field, while Crisp came home on a sacrifice fly by Lail.
Bulldogs starter Justin Pigott recorded six strikeouts in his seven innings of work. Chad Crosswhite worked a scoreless eighth inning, while utility player Moreland held the Gamecocks scoreless for the next three innings, recording three strikeouts.
Freshman Ricky Bowen picked up the win, striking out two of the three batters he faced in the 12th inning. Curtis Johnson took the loss for the Gamecocks.
“This win shows the tremendous character of our team,” Moreland said. “When we get beat like last night, we’re going to come back out and fight.”
Sunday
The Gamecocks came back to hand the Bulldogs their first SEC series loss winning 8-3. Mississippi State’s record drops to 14-6 and 3-3 in the SEC, one full game behind Arkansas in their division.
“We hit the ball hard, but we hit it right at them,” Polk said. “They’ve got an outstanding pitching staff. We had a chance to score some runs early on, but we couldn’t come up with the timely hits.”
Senior Josh Johnson took the loss for the Bulldogs, allowing seven hits and five runs (all earned).
John Lalor allowed in two runs in his three innings of work, while Crosswhite allowed one run on two hits in the ninth inning.
Seniors Jeffrey Rea and Brian LaNinfa led offensively for the Bulldogs. Rea extended his hitting streak to 11 games, going 2-for-5, while LaNinfa went 2-for-3 with one RBI. Easley ended his hitting drought of the series by knocking in a solo home run in the seventh inning, his seventh of the season.
The Bulldogs knocked in two runs in the third inning. Rea opened with a single and stole second. Easley struck out swinging but reached base on a wild pitch. LaNinfa and Powers followed with back-to-back RBI singles.
South Carolina took the lead in the fourth inning, when Kline opened the inning with a single and came home on a two-run shot to right field by Smoak. Disher followed with a solo homer, his second in the series.
Smoak would finish the day with four RBIs, going 4-for-5 on the day. Grinestaff, who left all three games early with a hamstring injury, would go 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Gamecocks’ relief pitcher Jeffords would take the win, striking out six batters in three innings.