Jack Mahoney and Chris Veach combined to hold Arkansas to one run on six hits as USC defeated the Razorbacks 3-1 in Fayetteville to snap a five-game losing streak. The win clinched at least a winning record in SEC play for the Gamecocks who are now 15-10 in the league with four conference games left, and it keeps them in fifth place in the overall league standings.
Mahoney (5-2) turned in his best performance of the season shutting out the Hogs over seven innings. He allowed five hits, struck out six and walked two. Mahoney was in trouble in the seventh after back-to-back singles put runners on first and second with no one out. Mahoney then induced a ground ball double play and then got a swinging strikeout on his 90th and final pitch of the night to end the inning.
Veach took over in the bottom of the eighth and allowed a leadoff walk to score with a wild pitch and a one-out single. But he got out of the inning without further damage and set the Razorbacks down in order in the ninth for his fifth save.
USC scored all their runs in the fourth inning. The first two batters reached, then Gavin Casas got the first run home on a single through the right side. Braylen Wimmer followed with an RBI single, and two outs later Evan Stone singled to score the Gamecocks’ third and final run. They would manage just one hit the rest of the way.
USC is now 37-13 overall and moved up to #3 in the RPI with the victory. They’ll go for the series win Sunday afternoon with Matthew Becker going to the mound.
