Tennessee baseball entered its weekend series with South Carolina boasting the second most home runs in Division One with sixty-one. That power was on display all weekend in Columbia as the top-ranked Volunteers blasted seven long balls against the Gamecocks. On Sunday, though, the big fly wasn’t the big difference. Tennessee rapped out three run-scoring singles to erase an early deficit and knock off USC 7-2 to sweep its SEC series with Carolina. The win improved the Volunteers to 26-2 overall and 8-1 in the league, while the Gamecocks tumbled to 1-8 in conference play and 17-12 following their seventh straight loss.
Jase Woita got USC on the board first with an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning, driving home Nathan Hall, who walked to open up the frame. From there, Matthew Becker kept the Volunteers at bay, at least until the fourth inning.
The decisive at-bat began with Becker hitting Tennessee’s lead-off hitter Dean Curley. A double, a base hit, a wild pitch, and another single had the visitors out in front 2-1. Becker battled back to strike out the next two hitters before Manny Marin delivered an RBI single to left, upping the Vols lead and ending the day for Becker. The senior left-hander gave up three runs on four hits with four strikeouts in three and two-thirds innings on the mound.
The Vols added some insurance with an RBI single and RBI double in the fifth inning, before tacking on a pair of home runs in the seventh.
Gavin Braland rapped an RBI single in the sixth inning to provide Carolina’s second run.
The Gamecocks will look to snap their losing streak on Tuesday as they host Presbyterian at 7pm.
Not making much of a comment. Carolina Baseball season speaks for it’s self! L.