FOUNDERS PARK: South Carolina evened their SEC record at 1-1 Saturday afternoon with an impressive 11-5 win over 12th ranked Oklahoma at Ray Tanner Field. The Gamecocks bounced back from their Friday night loss and will go for the series win Sunday afternoon, weather permitting.
The Gamecocks turned around a 3-2 deficit by scoring seven runs combined in the fourth and fifth innings. Kennedy Jones tied the game with a leadoff home run in the fourth. With two outs, Dalton Mashore put the Gamecocks in front for the first time with a two out, two run single to left.
After the Sooners scored a run in the fifth, the Gamecocks blew the game open with four runs on three hits and two errors. KJ Scobey led off with a walk and went to third on a single by Jones and an error on the right fielder, with Jones taking second. Jase Woita hit a sac fly to left to score Scobey. After Talmadge LeCroy walked, Jordan Carrion singled to left to score a run.
With two outs, Nathan Hall laced a single to left center driving in LeCroy. When the ball was misplayed by the left fielder for an error, Carrion was able to score the fourth run of the inning for a 9-4 lead.
The Gamecocks made it 10-4 in the seventh on a two out, RBI single by Henry Kaczmar. The Sooners scored a run in the top of the eighth, and the Gamecocks responded with a two-out, RBI double by Jones to finish off the scoring.
Clutch hitting was big for USC in this one. The Gamecocks had five runs to score with two outs. They were 4-11 at the plate with two outs and 6-13 with runners in scoring position.
Jones led a 14-hit attack with three hits, including his second homer of the season, and a double, and three RBIs. Scobey also homered, his third of the season. Nathan Hall and Woita also had doubles as the Gamecocks totaled five extra base hits.
The Gamecocks roughed up Oklahoma starter Malachi Witherspoon one day after his twin brother held them to three runs and struck out six in a win. Malachi allowed six runs on seven hits and walked three while striking out five.
Starter Jake McCoy (2-1) pitched the first five innings for the Gamecocks and allowed four runs on nine hits. He struck out six and walked three. Tyler Pitzer worked the final four innings to earn his first save. He did not allow a hit, but he did walk five and he allowed one run.
The Gamecocks are now 16-4 and 1-1 in the SEC, and the Sooners are 16-2 and 1-1. Game three of the series Sunday afternoon will have a 2:30 start time, one hour later than originally scheduled due to the weather.
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