#Gamecocks swing and MISS in a 5-4 loss to the Rebels on Friday

South Carolina baseball entered its SEC opening weekend ranked number one nationally in walks drawn with 148 on the season. However, it was the pitches in the zone that baffled Gamecock batters on Friday. Ole Miss struck out eleven Gamecocks, including Ethan Petry four times, as the Rebels defeated USC 5-4 at Swayze Field in Oxford, Mississippi. The Rebels were especially tough on the middle of Carolina’s order, as Talmadge LeCroy, Petry, Cole Messina, and Kennedy Jones accounted for nine of the eleven strikeouts.

Things started out well for the visitors as USC grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the second as Will Tippett ripped a double into centerfield, scoring Parker Noland and Tyler Causey. The latter reached base after being hit by a pitch, and Causey wasn’t alone. Ole Miss pitching hit five batters and walked three, but the Gamecocks were rarely able to take advantage of the free bases.

After the Rebels responded with a run in the bottom of the second, USC extended the lead to 3-1 in the fourth on an RBI groundout by Dylan Brewer. Ole Miss cut that deficit to one in the home half of the inning before taking the lead for good in the sixth on a two-run double from Luke Hill.

Mississippi added a critical insurance run in the seventh on a groundout to make the score 5-3. USC rallied back with a run in the eighth, but that was as close as the Gamecocks would get, falling to 14-4 on the season and 0-1 in the SEC. Three of Carolina’s four losses have come by the same 5-4 final score.

Game two of the series is set for Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET.

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