USC’s struggles continued in the final regular season midweek game
No. 13 South Carolina put up a solid run total but still wasn’t able to come away with a win against Charlotte on Tuesday night, losing 11-9.
The Gamecocks got on the board early, going up 3-0 in the first inning after Dylan Brewer and Braylen Wimmer walked to start things off and Cole Messina went yard. Ethan Petry followed with a single then scored on a one-out single by Talmadge LeCroy, pushing the lead to 4-0. The 49ers ended the shutout in the third, making it 4-2 courtesy of a Blake Jackson homer.
Charlotte added another run in the top of the fourth, making the score 4-3 thanks to a base hit by Kaden Hopson. USC got that run back in the bottom of the inning, making it a 5-3 game after Will Tippett led off with a single and later scored on a wild pitch. The 49ers took the lead in the next inning, going up 6-5 courtesy of a Brandon Stahlman single and a double by Will Butcher. They pushed the lead to 7-5 in the sixth when a run scored on a wild pitch. The Cocks tied it up in the next inning though, making it a 7-7 game after Petry started things off with a double and LeCroy hit a one-out home run.
The tie was short-lived though, as Charlotte regained the lead in the top of the eighth, scoring four runs and going up 11-7 thanks to a single from Jake Cunningham, a Stahlman double, and a wild pitch. Carolina scored the final two runs of the game in the bottom of the inning, when Stone reached on a wild pitch to lead off and Dylan Brewer went yard.
Gamecocks starter Cade Austin worked three innings and allowed five hits and two runs. He didn’t walk any batters and struck five out. Wesley Sweatt, Austin Williamson, Brett Thomas, Nick Proctor, Chris Veach, Connor McCreery, and Sam Simpson also pitched in this game, and Veach took the loss, making him 2-1. 49ers starter Clark Dearman went 0.1 innings and gave up two hits and four runs. He also issued two walks and did not strike out any batters. Aubrey Gillentine got the win and is now 1-1, while Evan Michelson earned the save, his sixth.
Petry and LeCroy paced USC at the plate with two hits each, while LeCroy and Messina tallied three RBI apiece. Jackson and Butcher each had three hits to lead Charlotte, while they along with Stahlman and Cunningham recorded two RBI apiece.
The Cocks are now 37-15 overall, while the 49ers are 26-25 on the season. South Carolina will be back in action on Thursday, when they open up the final series of the regular season against No. 18 Tennessee. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Founders Park.