Founders Park: South Carolina nearly matched Arkansas tough pitch for tough pitch Friday night in Columbia. The Razorbacks managed to squeeze out a pair of runs in the sixth inning and kept the Gamecocks off the board the rest of the way for a 2-1 win in front of packed house at Founders Park.
USC hitters knew they had their work ahead of them in facing one of the nation’s top pitchers in Hagen Smith to start the game, and a staff with the nation’s best ERA at 2.79. Smith allowed one hit over the first four innings. The Gamecocks broke through in the fifth loading the bases with one away. Parker Noland was thrown out on a ground ball to short, but he got the RBI for a 1-0 USC lead.
The Gamecocks had a chance for more in the inning after Smith intentionally walked Ethan Petry to reload the bases, but he struck out Dalton Reeves to end the inning.
Through five innings, USC pitching was just as good as Smith’s. Roman Kimball started but was removed with one out in the third due to an issue with his thumb on his pitching hand. He walked his last two batters and was replaced by Ty Good, who got a pair of fly balls to end the inning.
Good (4-1) kept the Razorbacks scoreless until the sixth. A pair of walks and a bunt single loaded the bases. One run scored on a wild pitch and a second scored on a sac fly to give Arkansas a 2-1 lead.
That would be all the runs for the Razorbacks who left the bases jammed in both the eighth and ninth innings. In all, they stranded 14 baserunners.
Smith retired the Gamecocks in order in the bottom of the sixth, and then the game was turned over to the Arkansas bullpen. The Gamecocks threatened in the seventh getting the first two hitters on board, but Cole Messina and Noland flied out, and Petry struck out.
The Gamecocks went down in order in the eighth, but they had a chance in the ninth. With two outs, pinch-hitter Blake Jackson legged out a double on a ball hit into the gap between left and center. Messina was walked intentionally, and the Razorbacks brought in Stone Hewlett from the pen. On a 3-2 pitch, he induced a ground ball to first by Noland for the final out of the game.
USC head coach Mark Kingston was not around for the finish. He was ejected in the top of the ninth by home plate umpire Mark Winters for arguing a call on a hit batsman. Because it was his first ejection of the season, Kingston will not have to sit out the next game.
The Gamecocks finished the night 1-13 with runners in scoring position and left ten on base. USC is now 26-12 overall and 8-8 in the SEC. Arkansas is 33-5 and 13-3 in the league.
Due to expected all day rain on Sunday, the teams will wrap up the series Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 1:00 PM.
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