Freshmen ignite series opening win over Tennessee
Freshmen delivered at key times in a big way for South Carolina on Friday night.
L.T. Tolbert (2-run homer, 3 RBI), T.J. Hopkins (2-run double) and Chris Cullen (defensive play of the night) led the way as the Gamecocks staved off Tennessee, 7-6, in Game 1 of a three-game series before 7,890 fans at Founders Park, nearly blowing a five-run lead as they managed to hold off the hard-charging Vols over the final three innings.
USC improved to 26-5 overall, 8-2 in the SEC.
“We feel very fortunate to have won the game,” Chad Holbrook said afterwards. “Tennessee really battled and competed. But we found a way to win and I’m proud of my team for that. Hopefully, we’ll play a little bit better tomorrow. SEC wins are hard to get and we got one tonight when we easily could not have.”
The win allowed USC to keep pace with Florida in the tight SEC East race. The Gators trounced Mississippi State, 8-2, Friday night in Gainesville.
Game 2 of the series is Saturday at 4 p.m. Braden Webb, who has captured back-to-back SEC Freshman of the Week honors, is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Gamecocks.
Clarke Schmidt (7-1) pitched the first six innings for the Gamecocks, allowing two runs on nine hits with 10 strikeouts and three walks.
Throwing 115 pitches, he recorded 10+ strikeouts for the second time in four outings, giving him 38 strikeouts in his last 27.2 IP, all against SEC competition.
“A lot of times he is at his best when his back is to the wall,” Holbrook said of Schmidt. “I think we saw that tonight.”
Taking the mound at the beginning of the top of the eighth, Josh Reagan recorded the final six outs to pick his ninth save of the season.
“It was his game until we got behind,” Holbrook said. “We were going to win or lose with him having the ball. He might not be available (Saturday), but Coach Tanner always taught me you don’t lose today to try to win tomorrow. You try to win today, and that’s what we did.”
The middle innings were pivotal for the Gamecocks. With the score tied at 1-1, Tolbert walloped his second homer of the season in the bottom half of the fourth, a two-run shot over the right field wall to give USC a 3-1 lead.
After Tennessee cut the lead to 3-2 in the top of the fifth on a RBI double, another promising freshman delivered in the clutch for the Gamecocks as T.J. Hopkins followed Tolbert’s bases-loaded walk by nearly crushing a grand slam homer to centerfield.
Instead, the ball caromed off the warning track just out of the reach of the diving Tennessee centerfielder and bounced over the wall for a two-run ground rule double.
When Dom Thompson-Williams added a RBI single in the bottom of the sixth, the Gamecocks owned a seemingly comfortable 7-2 lead.
The key blows by Tolbert and Hopkins proved to be the difference, along with some shaky Tennessee defense in the early innings, as Tennessee outhit USC, 14-8. However, the Vols had 13 singles while two of the Gamecocks’ eight hits went for extra bases and produced four runs.
The Vols, though, had other ideas, roaring back with a four-run seventh inning against relievers Brandon Murray (lifted after three batters without recording an out) and Tyler Johnson (3 hits in 1.0 IP) to throw a major scare into the Gamecocks.
Reagan was called upon at the start of the top of the eighth for a six-out save. When the Vols loaded the bases with two outs on a single, walk and hit by pitch, Cullen made the defensive play of the game as he pounced on a slow roller about 20 feet to the left of home plate and fired a throw to first to nip the Tennessee runner for the final out, preserving the 7-6 lead.
“That was very, very impressive for a freshman to make that play with the game on the line,” Holbrook said. “This was one of those games where we held on.”
In the top of the ninth, Tennessee got a walk and sacrifice bunt to put the tying run into scoring position. After an intentional walk with two outs, a lazy fly to medium left ended the marathon contest.
Tennessee stranded 16 runners, doubling the number for the Gamecocks. The Vols had seven LOB in the final three innings when it appeared they might even the score or go ahead.
Tennessee’s frustrations on the basepaths actually began in the fifth inning when they had runners on second and third with nobody out after a RBI double cut USC’s lead to 3-2.
However, after the first out came on a grounder to Schmidt that forced the runners to hold, the Vols runner on third was caught off the bag on a grounder to USC third baseman Jonah Bride and eventually tagged out by Cullen.
“The key to the game enabling us to win was the fifth inning when we held them, to one run and they had second and third with nobody out after already scoring one run,” Holbrook said. “Clarke Schmidt bowed his neck and threw some of the best pitches he threw all night. That was a big part of the game. Tennessee could have easily won that game, and perhaps deserved to win. But we battled and competed.”
LINESCORE
TEN 000 110 400 = 6-14-2
USC 001 231 00x = 7-8-1
WP – Clarke Schmidt (7-1)
LP – Aaron Soto (3-1)
SV – Josh Reagan (9)
HR – USC, LT Tolbert (4th, none out, 1 on)
RBI – Tolbert (3), Hopkins (2), Jones (1), DTW (1).
LOB – USC 8, Tennessee 16
A – 7,890
Time: 3:39
Gamecock Pitchers: Clarke Schmidt (6.0 IP, 115 pitches), Brandon Murray (0.0, 13 pitches), Tyler Johnson (1.0, 27 pitches), Josh Reagan (2.0, 32 pitches).
HOW THE RUNS SCORED:
USC 3rd – Mooney hit by pitch, Cone reached on fielder’s choice (3-6), Bride reached on fielder’s choice and Cone advanced to third on muffed throw (E6) from second baseman, Jones reached on fielder’s choice (5-4) and advanced to second on throwing error (E4)(RBI), Thompson-Williams walked, Cullen grounded to short. ONE RUN, NO HITS (USC 1-0).
TEN 4th – Ramirez struck out, Schultz singled to left, Schultz stole second and advanced to third on throwing error (E2), Bartlett struck out, Lance singled up the middle (RBI), Santiago walked, Hall grounded out to shortstop.
USC 4th – Stokes singled to shortstop, Tolbert homered to right (2 RBI), Hopkins popped to first, Mooney grounded to second. TWO RUNS, TWO HITS (USC 3-1).
TEN 5th – Senzel singled to right, Jackson singled to right, Rodgers doubled to right-center (RBI), Ramirez grounded to pitcher, Schultz reached on fielder's choice and advanced to second (1-0 B)(Jackson out at home 5-2), Bartlett struck out.
USC 5th - Bride singled to right, Jones singled to second, DTW grounded out to second, Cullen intentionally walked, Stokes struck out, Tolbert walked (RBI), Hopkins doubled to center (2 RBI), Mooney struck out. THREE RUNS, THREE HITS (USC 6-2).
USC 6th - Cone singled to center, Bride hit by pitch, Jones flied to right, Cone advanced to third on wild pitch, DTW singled to right (RBI), Cullen grounded into double play (6-4-3). ONE RUN, TWO HITS (USC 7-2).
TEN 7th - <Murray for Schmidt>, Senzel hit by pitch, Jackson walked, Rodgers singled up the middle (RBI), <Johnson for Murray>, Ramirez flied to center, Schultz struckout, Bartlett singled to right, Lance singled to left (2 RBI), Santiago singled to center (RBI), Santiago advanced to second and Lance advanced to third on passed ball, Hall flied to left. FOUR RUNS, FOUR HITS (USC 7-6).
