South Carolina rode another brilliant pitching performance from its bullpen to a rain-shortened 4-1 (6 innings) victory over Davidson at Founders Park, Wednesday.
Tyler Pitzer (2-0) picked up the win in relief and Ty Good struck each of the four batters he faced to notch his first save of the season. Centerfielder Dylan Brewer raised his average to .452 with a pair of bunt singles and Talmadge LeCroy, who’s batted second in the lineup the last two games, is 4-for-6 with four runs scored in his new role.
The Gamecocks, ranked 13th by Baseball America, have reached base at a high rate this season, but have struggled to cash in at times, leaving another nine runners stranded in six turns against Wildcats pitching. After leaving the bases full three times against The Citadel, Tuesday, USC again left the bases loaded in the first inning, Wednesday. The Gamecocks didn’t register an extra-base hit against Davidson but were able to manufacture some runs on the strength of eight walks and heads-up baserunning.
USC scored its first three runs on a bases-loaded walk from Kennedy Jones, an RBI groundout from Tyler Causey and a single from LeCroy. Brewer crossed the plate with the game’s final run when he scampered home from third after Ethan Petry caught himself in a rundown between first and second.
It was more than enough as Davidson was held to one run on two hits as the Gamecocks lowered their staff ERA to 2.38.
South Carolina (10-3) will next play host to Longwood (7-5) in its final non-conference weekend series. Friday’s first pitch between the Lancers and the Gamecocks from Founders Park is scheduled for 7 p.m.