Five different Gamecocks drove in a run and six pitchers combined to hold down Winthrop in South Carolina’s 6-1 win in Rock Hill, Wednesday.
Cole Messina got the scoring started with a solo homer to left in the second inning. Messina’s long ball was the first of four Gamecocks homers on the night and his 15th of the season. Winthrop (21-22) knotted the game in the fifth up after a walk and a pair of singles plated the Eagles first run.
Jonathan French broke the deadlock when he led off the seventh with his second homer of the season. Later in the inning, USC (36-8) got home runs from freshmen Will Tippett and Ethan Petry to take a commanding lead. In addition to his .408 batting average, Petry now has a team-high 21 home runs and 67 RBIs.
Dylan Brewer capped the scoring with an RBI single in the eighth, extending his on-base streak to 18 games in the process.
On the mound, Eli Jerzembeck retired all nine batters he faced and Nick Proctor (4-0) picked up with victory with 1.1 innings of scoreless relief.
Wednesday’s game was the first of four straight on the road for the third-ranked Gamecocks. South Carolina will next travel to Kentucky to take on the Wildcats in a three-game series. First pitch from Lexington, Ky., is scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m.
