USC 9-Kentucky 4 Game Summary
Founders Park
- South Carolina clinched its second SEC series win of the season, and scored at least nine runs for the third straight game of the week. With a win tomorrow, the Gamecocks will move past Kentucky to 13th in the SEC standings.
- Talmadge LeCroy had three hits and drove in two, and Tyler Bak had two hits and two RBIs. He scored twice and stole a base.
- Brandon Stone (5-2) started on the mound for USC and allowed four runs on six hits. He struck out four and did not walk a batter, and he hit one. Three relievers combined to shut out Kentucky the rest of the way on one hit.
- USC scored two runs in the bottom of the first on two hits and two Kentucky errors. With the bases loaded and one out, Dawson Harman hit a ground ball to third. The throw to second was good, but the throw to first was not, and two runs scored.
- Tyler Bak produced a third run for USC in the third. He led off with a single, stole second, went to third on a ground out to short and scored on a wild pitch.
- The Gamecoks scored two more in the fourth with their speed again a factor. Patrick Evans reached first on a strikeout/wild pitch, then stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. After Jake Randolph walked, Luke Yuhasz put down a sac bunt that scored Evans. One out later, Bak double through the right side for an RBI and a 5-0 lead.
- Kentucky finally got to Stone with two runs on two hits in the fifth, but the Gamecocks got one back in the bottom of the inning on a two out single by Evans.
- The Wildcats knocked Stone out of the game in the sixth with a pair of solo homers to make it a 6-4 game. Again, the Gamecocks answered with a run on a two-out Talmadge LeCroy double.
- From there, the Gamecock bullpen took over. Connor Chicoli, who got the last out of the sixth, Logan Prisco and Zach Russell allowed one hit and three walks over the final 3.1 innings.
- The Gamecocks added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth. With one out and runners on second and third, Bak drove in a run with a ground ball to second, and LeCroy singled to left for the final run.
- LeCroy had three hits and two RBIs on the day. Bak had two hits, including a double.
- The Gamecocks played errorless ball while for the second straight game the Wildcats committed three errors. They also had five wild pitches.
- USC batted .348 with runners on, .400 with two outs, and .750 with runners on third and less that two outs.
- The Gamecocks are now 22-22 overall and 7-13 in the SEC. Kentucky is 26-15 and 8-12. Game three will be Sunday at 3:00 PM.
