Four in first proves too much to overcome as Gamecocks drop opener
*** Also see: box score, notes/quotes
NASHVILLE -- Had South Carolina’s previously unbeaten ‘Friday night starter’ Clark Schmidt been as effective against Vanderbilt in the first inning as he was in the final seven, he might have kept his perfect record intact along with USC’s undefeated start in conference play.
However, Vanderbilt scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning off Schmidt and those tallies stood the test of time as the Gamecocks suffered its first SEC loss of the season, 6-3, Thursday night in front of an announced crowd of 3,384 fans at Hawkins Field.
USC fell to 23-4 overall with its second straight loss and 6-1 in the conference. Vanderbilt improved to 5-2 in the SEC.
Schmidt yielded a single and walk before an error by first baseman L.T. Tolbert loaded the bases in the bottom of the first with no outs. Cleanup hitter Alonzo Jones laced a two-run double down the third-base line and Jason Delay stroked a RBI single as the first five Vanderbilt batters reached base in the bottom of the first.
“In the first inning, I didn’t make a pitch when I needed to,” Schmidt said afterwards. “I was working ahead a little bit, but some of the hitters I needed to work ahead I worked behind and they hit some good pitches over the plate. They put some good swings.
“The rest of the game, I just wanted to compete. I had to show some guts and show what this team is made of and we’re not giving in regardless of the score. We will always keep fighting.”
A double play grounder to second added another run as the Commodores grabbed a quick 4-0 lead against Schmidt, who settled down and allowed just two runs and five hits with eight strikeouts over the final seven innings.
“Our guys battled and competed,” USC coach Chad Holbrook said. “We were down 4-0 before we even broke a sweat. After that, we settled down and we played and we battled and competed. It was two good teams out there playing tonight. Two good arms.”
The Gamecocks never caught up, though, as they struggled to generate offense against Vanderbilt’s hard-throwing righty Jordan Sheffield. USCX managed just two hits in the first six innings off Sheffield, who left after surrendering three hits and a pair of USC runs in the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly and groundout.
“The way Sheffield threw tonight, that was very impressive,” Holbrook said. “We’ve seen some good guys throw here like Sonny Gray and some other big leaguers. That was as impressive a performance from a stuff standpoint.
“The word was maybe he’ll walk some guys (he had walked 17 in 36.2 IP coming in) and you’ll have a chance to score against him, but he had great command tonight with a 95-97 fastball and great breaking ball and good changeup.”
Sheffield walked three Gamecock hitters, but none scored.
Trailing 4-0, the Gamecocks finally broke through on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth when John Jones (only Gamecock player with multiple hits) led off with a double to right-center and eventually scored with two outs on a throwing error by the Vanderbilt shortstop on a chopper by Bride.
USC had runners on base in four of the first five innings against Sheffield, but managed only one unearned run.
Schmidt keep Vanderbilt’s damage to four runs until the fifth when a two-out hit batter turned into a run by virtue of a stolen base and bloop single into left-center. The run gave Vanderbilt a 5-1 lead.
After a solo homer by Ethan Paul increased Vanderbilt’s lead to 6-1 lead in the sixth, the Gamecocks sliced the lead to 6-3 in the top of the seventh. USC had three of its five hits in the inning.
But Vanderbilt reliever Ben Bowden held the Gamecocks to one hit over the final two innings as he earned the save.
USC’s frustrating night was summed up perfectly in the top of the eighth. After Alex Destino singled to extend his hitting streak to 19 games, Dom Thompson-Williams lined a pitch back at Bowden, who reached out and snared the ball before lobbing a throw to first to complete the L-1-3 double play.
Going the distance, Schmidt finished with eight hits and six runs allowed with nine strikeouts in 8.0 innings, matching his longest outing of the season.
Because he did not have to utilize the Gamecock bullpen, Holbrook hopes Schmidt’s outing pays dividends for the Gamecocks in Games 2 and 3 of the series.
“Clarke battled his tail off,” Holbrook said. “After being down 4-0, for him to finish the game for us really helps us out for the rest of the weekend as far as the depth of our bullpen, especially coming off the extra-inning game against College of Charleston. Clarke gave us a big shot in the arm.”
LINESCORE
USC (23-4) - 000 100 200 = 3-6-1
VAN (22-4) - 400 011 00x = 6-8-1
WP – Jordan Sheffield (4-1)
LP – Clarke Schmidt (6-1)
SV – Ben Bowden
HR – VU, Ethan Paul (6th, none on)
RBI – Marcus Mooney (1), LT Tolbert (1)
LOB – USC 6, Vanderbilt 3
A – 3,384
Time: 2:24
Gamecock Pitchers: Clarke Schmidt (8.0 IP, 107 pitches).
HOW THE RUNS SCORED:
VAN 1st – Coleman singled to center, Kendall walked, Reynolds reached on fielding error (E3), Jones doubled down 3B line (2 RBI), Delay singled to left (RBI), Toffey grounded into 4-6-3 double play (run scores), Paul struckout. FOUR RUNS, THREE HITS (VAN 4-0).
USC 4th – Jones doubled to right-center, Destino fouled out to third, DTW struckout, Bride reached on throwing error (E6), Hopkins walked, Arendas flied to center. ONE RUN, ONE HIT (VAN 4-1).
VAN 5th – Coleman grounded to second, Kendall lined to center, Reynolds hit by pitch, Jones singled to left-center (RBI), Delay flies to center. ONE RUN, ONE HIT (VAN 5-1).
VAN 6th – Toffey grounded to second, Paul homered to right (RBI), Smith struckout, Campbell struckout. ONE RUN, ONE HIT (VAN 6-1).
USC 7th – Hopkins doubles to right, Arendas singles to center, Mooney hit sacrifice fly to right (RBI), Cone singled to right, Tolbert grounded to second (RBI), Jones struckout. TWO RUNS, THREE HITS (VAN 6-3).
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