Newcomers show the way as Gamecocks trounce Albany in opener

For the first game anyway, Dom Thompson-Williams lived up to the hype.

Batting second in South Carolina’s new-look batting order, Thompson-Williams blasted a two-run homer, singled twice and drove in three runs as the Gamecocks trounced Albany, 10-1, Friday in the 2016 season opener, the first of a three-game series, in front of 7,434 fans at Founders Park.

The two teams square off again Saturday at 2 p.m. with freshman right-hander Braden Webb scheduled to make his starting debut for the Gamecocks.

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The Gamecocks pulled away by scoring three runs in the bottom of the third (three-run by John Jones) and four in the fourth (Thompson-Williams’ HR + consecutive bases loaded walks) to take a comfortable 8-1 lead and were never seriously threatened thereafter.

“It was a great opening day for us,” Holbrook said. “I was pleased with the way we played. Our pitchers threw the ball very well. We played great defense behind our guys (no errors). The guys were full of energy today. They were full of togetherness. They were anxious for this date. They couldn’t wait for it to get here.”

Clarke Schmidt worked six innings for his third career victory, allowing three hits and one run while fanning six and walking four.

Schmidt needed just 74 pitches (44 strikes) to get through 6.0 innings for a strike percentage of

“Clarke set the tone for us,” Holbrook said. “He wasn’t as crisp as he has been in the scrimmages, but he still had good enough stuff and competed hard enough to get his fair share of outs. He has been more clean in the scrimmages in terms of his command, but that’s not something I’m worried about whatsoever. When he got into a grove there, he was throwing great.”

Four Albany pitchers combined for nine walks and two hit batter. Great Danes starter Stephen Woods was a sixth-round selection by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2013, but exited Friday’s game after allowing seven hits and seven runs in just 3.1 innings.

“I love the way our hitters competed against that pitcher,” Holbrook said. “He has a good arm. He was a sixth-round draft pick and had a great Cape Code League (last summer). There were a lot of cross checkers and scouts here today to see him today.

“That tells you right there he is very highly thought of with his arm strength and stiff. It was a great test for us right out of the gate to see a mid-90s arm with a good breaking ball. We competed hard against him to make him throw strikes.”

Besides Thompson-Williams and Jones, another newcomer shined as well as freshman T.J., Hopkins collected a pair of assists from his right field spot, two walks and a flawlessly executed sacrifice bunt.

“I love the way T.J. Hopkins played,” Holbrook said. “He played great defense with the two assists. He got a bunt down. He did well. I was pleased with all our guys. It was a good team win.”

After wasting a two on, no out situation in the bottom of the first, the Gamecocks took advantage of an identical situation the following inning to grab a 1-0 lead.

Back-to-back walks and a perfect sacrifice bunt by freshman T.J. Hopkins led to Scolamiero’s sacrifice fly to left for the season’s first run.

The 1-0 lead lasted until the bottom of the third when Jones rifled a full count pitch into the right-center gap for three RBI, lifting the Gamecocks into a 4-0 lead.

“He was throwing velocity in there and I got the barrel on the ball and it carried a little bit,” Jones said. “It was a two-strike count, so I just shortened up and found the barrel.”

Holbrook added: “Jones’ got the big hit with the bases loaded and that gave us some separation. We cruised from there.”

Schmidt struggled with his control at the outset of the fourth inning, issuing consecutive walks to put the tying run into the on-deck circle. He eventually gave up a single run, but that was all.

Thompson-Williams essentially put the game out of reach by following Marcus Mooney’s double down the left field line by walloping a 2-2 pitch over the right-field wall for his first career homer.

“I think he can be a difference makes for us,” Holbrook said of Thompson-Williams. “You can see he has some ability. He had a good first game today. Jones did well with the big hit and caught and played with some emotion and energy.”

After that roundtripper, the decision to pull Woods backfired on Albany as reliever Brendan Ryan issued four walks to the five batters he faced and forced home two runs.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Thompson-Williams finished 3-of-4 with two RBI and three runs scored and showed few jitters even though he was making his Gamecock debut in front of a near capacity crowd.

KEY MOMENT: The Gamecocks led by just a single run (1-0) in the bottom of the third when Jones came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. His bases-clearing double gave USC a 4-0 lead and they never looked back.

HOW THE RUNS SCORED

USC 2nd – Jones walked, Arendas walked, Hopkins sacrificed (1-3), Scolamiero hit sacrifice fly to left (RBI), Mooney grounded to second. ONE RUN, NO HITS (1-0 USC).

USC 3rd – Thompson-Williams singled to shortstop, Destino singled to right, Bride hit by pitch, Tolbert flied to left, Jones doubled to right-center (3 RBI), Arendas struckout, Hopkins grounded to short. THREE RUNS, THREE HITS (4-0 USC).

ALB 4th – Miller walked, Canaday walked, Powers struck out, Harasta popped to second, Hinchy singled to right (RBI) and Canaday thrown out at third (9-5). ONE RUN, ONE HIT (USC 4-1).

USC 4th – Scolamiero struck out, Mooney doubled to left, Thompson-Williams homered to right (2 RBI), Destino singled to left, <RYAN FOR WOODS>, Bride walked, Tolbert flied to left, Jones walked, Arendas walked (RBI), Hopkins walked (RBI), Scolamiero grounded to first. FOUR RUNS, THREE HITS (USC 8-1).

USC 5th – Mooney flied to left, Thompson-Williams walked, Destino popped to second, Bride doubled to left (RBI), Tolbert grounded to first. ONE RUN, ONE HIT (USC 9-1).

USC 6th – Jones lined to second, Arendas hit by opitch, Hopkins walked, Scolamiero singled to right (RBI) and advanced to second on the throw, Mooney grounded to third, Thompson-Williams popped to third. ONE RUN, ONE HIT (USC 10-1).