Two years since he last walked up on the hill, Jack Mahoney took the ball to start Sunday’s game for USC against UMass-Lowell and gave the Gamecocks exactly what coach Mark Kingston was looking for. Mahoney scattered five hits and struck out nine in 5.1 innings as the Gamecocks completed the sweep of UML 12-1.
Mahoney underwent Tommy John surgery early in the 2021 season. He recovered enough to play some in the field and to hit last season, but not enough to pitch. Now, he gives Kingston a solid third starter for his weekend rotation.
The Gamecocks broke open a scoreless game with sixth runs in the fifth inning. including a three run homer by Cole Messina and a two run blast by Gavin Casas. Casas also had a solo homer in the seventh. Kevin Madden and Ethan Petry also hit home runs. For the series the Gamecocks hit 14 round trippers.
The Gamecocks face a five game week with home games against Winthrop Tuesday, Queens Wednesday, and Penn coming in for a weekend series starting Friday.
