Gamecocks remain undefeated in SEC, complete sweep of Ole Miss
OXFORD, Miss. - With two series against top-15 opponents to start the SEC slate, few would have predicted the Gamecocks to start conference play 6-0.
But with a 4-0 victory at Ole Miss Saturday afternoon to complete a three-game sweep, that's exactly where the tenth-ranked Gamecocks (23-2 overall) sit for the first time in school history.
"We just went 1-0 today," South Carolina head coach Chad Holbrook said when asked about the impressive start. "It was a little bit of a strange game. I don't think Adam Hill had his best stuff. I don't think he had his best command. But he battled and he gutted it out for us. ... We made some pitches when we had to, we played some defense, we turned some double plays. This weekend it just kind of went our way."
Hill, the Gamecocks' freshman starting pitcher, earned the win with six shutout innings to improve to 5-0 in his career. He allowed just four hits and three walks while striking out four.
"I struggled with command a little bit," Hill said. "But I was able to battle through it and make some timely pitches and get some outs. Getting three runs in the first is big-time. It's a lot easier to pitch, so just having that was huge. I know my team has got my back, so I knew as long as I could throw some strikes and get some outs that we'd be good to go."
South Carolina picked up right where it left off at the plate with three runs in the first inning as the Gamecocks continued to torch Ole Miss pitching after producing 14 hits on Friday and 13 on Thursday. The seven hits and four runs on Saturday were enough as three Carolina pitchers combined for the shutout.
Gene Cone led off the game with a double into right-center. He scored on a Jones groundout to first.
After an Alex Destino double, Dom Thompson-Williams' RBI single down the right field line extended the Gamecocks lead. Jonah Bride's infield single put the Gamecocks up 3-0.
"That's huge," Thompson-Williams said of the quick start.. "We've got Gene. Gene has been doing a terrific job. You get a leadoff double in the first inning, that's momentum, that's crazy momentum. Especially being here in the fans, the excitement. It's huge and I think it's huge to the pitchers as well. They see three runs on the board and I think they relax a little more than they would."
Ole Miss starter Andy Pagnozzi suffered the loss and is 4-1 on the year. He allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits in 3.1 innings.
Ole Miss threatened for the first time in the fourth inning when the Rebels put runners at the corners with just one out. But Hill got Michael Fitzsimmons swinging and catcher John Jones threw out Henri Lartigue attempting to take second for an inning-ending double play on the first-and-third double steal attempt.
South Carolina increased its lead to 4-0 in the fifth on a Thompson-Williams sacrifice fly to deep left-center field.
In the seventh inning, Hill gave way to Brandon Murray who scattered a hit and a walk without any damage thanks to a double play and a groundout.
Ole Miss' last push came in the eighth when Errol Robinson led off the inning by reaching on an error and Murray walked J.B. Woodman.
Carolina turned to Tyler Johnson who induced a 4-6-3 double play and a groundout to third to end the threat.
"He threw great,"Holbrook said. "We've got some deep guys in the bullpen I think. We've got some good arms. Tyler has got it going a little bit and I feel comfortable he's at least going to throw strikes. He's got a good breaking ball and he can throw the changeup to lefties. That was the thought process there and then he got a big double play there and I think that kind of deflated them."
Johnson worked through a perfect ninth to earn the save on two innings of work.
South Carolina, which owns a 13-game winning streak, hosts College of Charleston Tuesday with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.
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