Gamecock newcomers prove difference in 8-6 victory over Arkansas

South Carolina was trying to win an SEC series against a top-15 team with two freshmen pitchers and five position players making their first conference starts.

That inexperience didn’t phase the 16th-ranked Gamecocks (20-2, 3-0 SEC) as they went on to sweep the No. 14 Arkansas Razorbacks, capped by a come-from-behind 8-6 win Sunday.

Newcomers John Jones and Dom Thompson-Williams proved to be the heroes, combining to go 4-for-10 with seven RBIs. Jones, as he has all season, provided some late-game theatrics, crushing a 3-run home run in the eighth to give the Gamecocks their first, and only, lead of the day.

“My initial reaction was thankful I hit it,” Jones said. “I wasn’t even close on the other ones. Just to help out the team with a win in a big Sunday game was pretty, pretty awesome.”

South Carolina fell behind early, trailing 6-1 after four innings. The Razorbacks took advantage of shaky defense and a throwing error from pitcher Reed Scott to score three runs in both the third and fourth innings.

But the tide began to turn in the fifth when right fielder Gene Cone gunned down a runner at home plate to end the half inning and keep the deficit at five runs.

“It had to be perfect and it was,” Jones said. “You go into your at-bat with a lot of momentum after a big play like that. I think that gave us a little kick start.”

It was the next half inning where South Carolina strung together four straight two-out hits to cut the Razorback lead to three runs. Thompson-Williams was the igniter in the inning, slicing a 2-RBI double into deep right center.

South Carolina would plate another run in the sixth inning on a RBI single from Jones before the sophomore’s mammoth, go-ahead homer in the eighth inning.

The three-run shot was his team-leading sixth home run and brings his RBI total to 31 on the year. He’s batting .422 while slugging a team-best .687.

“I don’t know really how to describe him other than that it factor, he has it,” head coach Chad Holbrook said. “You always want to coach kids that have that it factor. Whatever that it factor all these coaches talk about, Jonesy has it.”

Defensively, South Carolina leaned heavily on pitchers Scott and Josh Reagan who combined to pitch 5.2 scoreless innings and only gave up five hits while striking out six.

Reagan, who entered the game in the seventh with the team trailing 6-5, earned his first win of the season.

“They just gave us a chance. Reed’s had a knack of doing that for us,” Holbrook said. “He has a knack of not allowing an opponent for extending their lead. He’s a pretty good pitcher. He can schlop it in there … Him and Josh are very, very similar in the way they go about it.”

With Sunday’s win, the Gamecocks earn their first SEC sweep of the season and have won 10 games in a row for the second time this season. The young players helped secure the sweep.

The five first-time starters combined to hit 20-for-56 (.357) with 17 RBIs and 16 runs scored.

“We got some good young players. It’s not juniors and seniors, our freshmen have played a big part in this thing,” Holbrook said. “I like what I see from the character of my team.”

Jones said the team isn’t looking at itself as young; the players are just playing the same game they’re used to playing.

“I think we’re bringing the same game out, letting it hang out against bigger competition on a bigger stage,” he said.

South Carolina travels to No. 9 Ole Miss this weekend for a three-game series starting Thursday before hitting the road again for a Thursday-Friday-Saturday series at No. 2 Vanderbilt.

Holbrook said this weekend was a good jumping-off point for his young team who showed they could compete with the top dogs in conference.

“Playing in the SEC is a different animal,” Holbrook said. “It’s a brutal league. You can play well and lose. You just have to play as hard as you can and give yourself a fighting chance, and we did.”

Starting lineups

South Carolina: RF, Gene Cone; 1B, LT Tolbert; DH, John Jones; LF, Alex Destino; CF, Dom Thompson-Williams; 3B, Jonah Bride; C, Chris Cullen; 2B, DC Arendas; SS, Marcus Mooney; SP, Adam Hill.

Arkansas: DH, Darien Simms; CF, Clark Eagan; 3B, Carson Shaddy; LF, Luke Bonfield; 2B, Rich Nomura; 1B, Cullen Gassaway; RF, Chad Spanberger; C, Alex Gosser; SS, Cody Scroggins; SP, Keaton McKinney.

Line score

Arkansas 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0---------6 9 1

South Carolina 0 1 0 0 3 1 0 3 x-----8 10 2

Pitching

South Carolina

Adam Hill: 3+ IP, 4 H, 5 R (5 ER), 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HP

Vince Fiori: .1 IP, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 0 K

Reed Scott: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K

Josh Reagan: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Arkansas

Keaton McKinney: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R (3 ER), 0 BB, K 4, I HP

Zach Jackson: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R (4 ER), 5 BB, 2 K

Jordan Rodriguez: .2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

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