Clutch. Nails. In the zone. Gamecocks righthander Brandon Stone was all of the above in South Carolina’s victory over no. 11 Ole Miss at Founders Park, Thursday. Stone kept the Rebels off balance all night, needing just 86 pitches and 1:59 for his nine-frame masterpiece. It was USC’s first win over a ranked opponent since beating Oklahoma on March 15th and its first nine-inning complete game since Brett Kerry went the distance against Kentucky in 2021.
The 6’6″ sophomore wasn’t overpowering, fanning just four, but threw 71% of his pitches for strikes and induced three double-play balls. Stone didn’t walk a batter and kept the leadoff hitter from reaching in seven of nine innings, a recipe for success.
USC needed it in the worst way, having lost five straight conference games and four of its five SEC openers before Thursday. Stone (2-4) also needed it, as he dragged a 10.67 ERA in SEC play into his fourth conference start. But the previous setbacks were swept aside for a couple of hours and South Carolina looked like it belonged thanks to Stone’s stellar performance.
Nathan Hall (2-4), Jordan Carrion and Gavin Braland drove in the Gamecocks’ runs, providing just enough offense to pull the upset. Ole Miss scored both of its runs on solo homers, one in the third and another in the sixth. On both occasions, however, Stone bounced back to retire the next batter and halt the momentum.
An error put the tying run on base in the ninth, but Stone induced a 4-6-3 double play to extinguish the threat.
Now armed with a well-rested bullpen, South Carolina (22-17, 3-13) heads into the weekend with a chance to win its first conference series of the season. Game 2 between the Rebels (27-11, 9-7) and the Gamecocks is scheduled for 4 p.m., Friday.
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