USC opened their season scoring double figure runs in each of their first five games. Friday against Penn at Founders Park, the runs were a little more difficult to come by, but the Gamecocks still had plenty of offense and enough pitching for a 7-4 win over the Quakers to improve to 6-0 on the season.
A five run second inning gave the Gamecocks a working margin and the pitching protected the lead from there. Ethan Petry had a three-run homer to key the big inning. Caleb Denny later delivered a two-run single for a 5-0 lead. Denny, a transfer from Oral Roberts, has reached base in 34 straight games dating back to last season.
Another Denny RBI single in the sixth made it a 6-1 game. The Quakers got a two-run homer as they scored three runs in the seventh. They threatened in the eighth getting two runners on board, but Chris Veach got a ground ball to the end the inning.
Cole Messina added a solo homer in the eighth to restore the three run lead, and Veach, after a leadoff walk in the ninth, retired the final three batters for his first save of the season. Starter Will Sanders picked up his first win of the season working five innings and allowing four hits and one unearned run. He struck out six and walked two.
Game two of the series will be Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 PM.
