Three USC pitchers limited Auburn to five hits. Unfortunately for the Gamecocks, three of them left the park, and the Gamecocks couldn’t counter in falling to the 19th ranked Tigers Friday night 6-3 at Plainsman Park. The Gamecocks had just four hits, including a solo homer by Andrew Eyster. It’s the sixth time in seven series USC has dropped the opening game.
The game was tied at three in the bottom of the seventh when the Tigers took the lead on a solo homer by Bobby Peirce off John Gilreath. The Tigers padded the lead in the eighth with a two-run shot by Sonny DiChiara off CJ Weins.
After tying the game at three in the fourth, the Gamecocks managed just two singles the rest of the way, and they went down in order in both the eighth and ninth innings. Brandt Belk singled in the sixth to extend his hitting streak to 24 games.
Brett Thomas started and pitched the first two innings allowing three runs. Gilreath worked the next five and gave up one run on the home run. Weins finished up and yielded the final two runs. Gilreath (0-2) took the loss.
The Gamecocks are 19-18 and 6-10 in the SEC. The Tigers are 27-12 and 9-7. Game two of the series will be Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern.
