FOUNDERS PARK: South Carolina coach Paul Mainieri made a change in his starting outfield Tuesday night against Upstate at Ray Tanner Field, and the move paid immediate dividends. With Dalton Mashore back from a hip injury, and with a lefty on the mound, Mainieri inserted him into right field and moved Ethan Petry to left.
The result? Mashore hit a grand slam in the first and Petry and two-run homer in the second to stake the Gamecocks to a 6-0 lead and they went on to a 13-3 win over the Spartans in seven innings.
For Mashore, it was his first home run as a Gamecock, but for Petry it was number 53 moving him to within nine of the school’s all-time mark owned by Justin Smoak.
Upstate scored two runs n the fourth, but the Gamecocks put the ten-run rule in play by scoring six in the bottom of the six. After the bases were loaded with three straight singles, Nathan Hall drew a walk for the first run. One-out later, Jordan Carrion laced a bases clearing double. The Gamecocks then loaded the bases again with a pair of walks, and with two outs, KJ Scobey singled to right for the final two runs and a 12-2 lead.
The Gamecocks could have closed out the game with a scoreless top of the seventh, but the Spartans got a two-out single that scored a run to make it a 12-3 game. However, pinch-hitter Cayden Gaskin sent everyone home early anyway with a walk-off solo home run for a 13-3 lead.
Petry, Carrion and Scobey each had two hits as the Gamecocks totaled 12 on the night. Five USC pitchers combined on a five-hitter. They struck out nine and walked five. Jackson Soucie (3-0) earned the win after working three innings and allowing two runs on two hits.
The Gamecocks are 20-14 and open a SEC series at Texas A&M Thursday night. The Spartans are 16-17.
Mainieri announced after Tuesday night’s game that starting catcher Talmadge LeCroy will miss the remainder of the season due to a hip issue that will require a medical procedure. LeCroy is eligible for a redshirt. He was hitting .188 with six RBIs.
Mainieri also said pitcher Dylan Eskew, who is working his way back from concussion protocol, threw a good bullpen on Tuesday.
Box Score
Paul Mainieri & Dalton Mashore postgame
