South Carolina’s pitching simply couldn’t quiet the Mississippi State bats in an 11-4 loss in Starkville, Miss., Saturday. The Bulldogs scored runs in the first, third, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings.
Three of USC’s five hits were home runs, but the Gamecocks couldn’t mount a significant rally against the Mississippi State bullpen. Shortstop Henry Kaczmar’s went deep twice, first in the third and then again in the fifth to trim the Bulldog’s lead to 6-3. Blake Jackson’s solo shot made it 6-4 heading into the home half of the fifth.
USC couldn’t score again, however, and saw their chances slip away frame by frame as Mississippi State poured it on. Kaczmar’s homers helped him raise his average to .295 and Nathan Hall swiped a pair of bases, but that was the extent of the offensive highlights for the Gamecocks.
Jarvis Evans, Jr. (3-1) got knocked around for six earned runs in 2.2 innings and suffered his first loss of the season.
Despite the loss, the Gamecocks (19-13, 2-9) can take their first SEC series with a win Sunday. First pitch of the rubber match between USC and Mississippi State is set for 2 p.m. EST.
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