USC gave themselves a chance to win the series with 25th ranked Ole Miss Friday night by taking a 4-2 win over the Rebels and will have top pitcher Will Sanders going to the mound Saturday afternoon at 3:00 PM. Friday night it was the pitching of Noah Hall and Matthew Becker, and a big swing of the bat by Josiah Sightler that made the difference for the Gamecocks.
Hall (2-4) worked 7.2 innings and allowed two runs on six hits while striking out five. He did not walk a batter. He threw 96 pitches, 66 for strikes. Becker finished up. He struck out three of the four batters he faced and got a ground ball for the other out. Eleven of his 14 pitches went for strikes.
Sightler cranked a three-run homer in the third to put USC up 3-1. It was his fifth homer in ten games in April. The Gamecocks added a run in the fourth on a wild pitch. Both of the Ole Miss runs came on solo homers by first baseman Tim Elko off Hall. Elko who had a 4-for-4 night at the plate and is hitting .355 for the season.
USC won with just five hits. The last 14 Gamecock batters were retired in order. Ole Miss managed just six hits. The only time the potential tying run reached the plate was in the eighth when Elko singled to left with two outs on the final pitch from Hall. Becker struck out Kevin Graham to end the inning and retired the Rebels in order in the ninth.
Sightler suffered an ankle sprain in the game and is questionable for Saturday. The Gamecocks did get first baseman Brandt Belk back from the sick list after missing two games.
The Gamecocks are 17-17 and 5-9 in the SEC. The Rebels are 21-13 and 5-9.
