Photos by Gamecock Athletics
South Carolina got a gem out of starter Jarvis Evans, Jr. and big nights from Evan Stone and Ethan Petry in a 9-1 victory over The Citadel at Riley Park in Charleston, Wednesday.
Evans, Jr., a Georgia transfer, kept the Bulldogs off balance for seven innings, giving up just one run on three hits. Evans, Jr. got early run support from Petry, who tied Hank Small for second on South Carolina’s career home run list (48) with his two-run blast in the first. Two innings later, Evan Stone launched a solo homer over the scoreboard in left for his first homer of the season. Stone and Petry would both later add RBI doubles to pad the lead.
With three hits in five at-bats, Petry upped his season average to .420, his on-base percentage to .532 and his slugging percentage to an eye-popping .820. Beau Hollins contributed three hits, including a double, and scored twice.
Evans, Jr.’s stellar outing, which included six strikeouts, dropped his ERA from 8.44 to 4.38.
The loss snapped the Bulldogs’ five-game winning streak. The Citadel (7-5) will continue its homestand with an upcoming series against Northwestern starting Friday at 7 p.m.
South Carolina head coach Paul Mainieri was pleased with what he thought may have been his team’s most complete performance this season. In his postgame comments, Mainieri said Evans, Jr. was in “complete command the whole day” and singled out his team’s offensive execution and two-strike approach for praise. Mainieri also indicated that outfielder Kennedy Jones should be ready to return from injury this weekend.
It wasn’t all good news, however, as it’s now clear that regular catcher Talmadge LeCroy will miss more time, which puts USC in a bind after reserve backstop Gavin Braland left the game in the eighth after sliding into the concrete barrier chasing a foul popup.
The Gamecocks will return to Founders Park for a weekend series against Morehead State. Game 1 of the three-game set is scheduled for 7 p.m., Friday.
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