South Carolina hosted Tennessee at Carolina Stadium over the weekend. The Gamecocks broke out the brooms and swept Tennessee by scores of 4-2, 10-7 and 4-0.
Breaking it down…The story of the weekend was the Gamecocks pitchers. On Friday Blake Cooper pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed 2 runs. Those runs came in the 7th, and Cooper was pulled as soon as he started having trouble. Jose Mata, Michael Roth and Ethan Carter pitched the rest of the way and didn’t allow a hit. Read that again: the South Carolina bullpen pitchers didn’t allow a hit down the stretch. Even better, they didn’t walk anybody.
Saturday looked like it was going to start the same way. Sam Dyson didn’t allow a hit until the 4th inning, and that runner was stranded. Dyson would give up 2 hits and a run in both the 5th and the 6th before giving way to Jose Mata and Michael Roth. Mata and Roth didn’t have the same success on their second day facing the Vols. They gave up 4 hits and 3 runs to allow the game to be tied. The Gamecock bats came alive in the next inning to give the team a 9-5 lead. Parker Bangs, who had finished the 7th would finish the game giving up 2 runs that were ultimately meaningless.
At Sunday’s start time, it didn’t look like it was going to be a good day for pitching. The tarp was on the field, and it was raining. Rain delays do different things to different pitchers with the necessity of warming up and waiting or warming up in a hurry. Tyler Webb started once the rain delay was over. The freshman proved to be everything you want a Sunday starter to be. He gave up no runs and only one hit in his 5 2/3 innings. The lone hit was a bunt single where Webb slipped on the wet grass fielding it. At the time Webb left the game in the 6th the Gamecocks clung to a 1-0 lead. Michael Roth, Jay Brown and Matt Price were called on for the last 3 1/3 innings. They gave up no hits and only walked one. The pitching staff finished the day with 11 strikeouts and only 1 hit.
What to take from the weekend…What you should take from every conference sweep, be happy. Sweeps in SEC play don’t happen that often and should be enjoyed whenever they can. This weekend’s series should give fans some reasons to be optimistic about the pitching, especially the relief pitching that has been missing in recent years. Mata and Roth appear to be Ray Tanner’s choices for set up men to do middle relief. After those two, the closer role is still open, but Matt Price ,Parker Bangs and Ethan Carter seem to be viable options.
Stars of the weekend…First, see the pitchers above. Jeffrey Jones went 4-6 with a double, home run, 3 runs and 4 RBIs. Whit Merrifield went 4-10 with 5 runs, 2 HR, and 2 RBIs. Scott Wingo went 3-9 with 3 RBIs and a HR. Christian Walker went 3-8 with 2 RBIs and a clutch triple.
This and that…Tennessee pitchers issued 25 free passes to USC in the form of 18 walks and 7 HBP….In contrast, SC pitchers walked 8 and hit 2….Tennessee Saturday Starter Aaron Tullo lasted on 1/3 inning against 4 batters giving up 1 run on 2 walks, 1 HBP and 0 hits.
Up next…Georgia Southern in Statesboro on Tuesday night and a weekend series against Auburn on the plains. The Eagles are the Southern Conference favorites this year, and Auburn beat the tar out of Georgia over the weekend by scores of 20-3, 4-3 and 19-3. (43-9 for the weekend.)
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