USC racked up another midweek win over an in-state opponent
No. 6 South Carolina scored early and rallied late on Tuesday night, coming away with a 10-4 victory over Charleston Southern.
Both teams got on the board in the first inning. The Buccaneers started things off by going up 1-0 on a double by Casey Asman. The Gamecocks tied things up, then took the lead in the bottom of the inning. Dylan Brewer walked to lead off, Braylen Wimmer singled, and Cole Messina walked with one out to load the bases. Gavin Casas walked too to force a run in and make the score 1-1, then Talmadge LeCroy brought in two runs with a single, making it a 3-1 game.
CSU regained the lead in the next inning, scoring three runs of their own courtesy of a Nico Regino double and a single by Jaylin Rae, putting them up 4-3. USC answered again in the bottom of the inning, tying the game at 4-4 after Wimmer singled with one out and scored on a two-out double by Messina.
The tie remained until the sixth, when the Cocks finally retook the lead for good after Caleb Denny walked to start things off and Brewer homered with one out to make it 6-4. Two more runs came in the next inning, when Messina hit a leadoff double and Casas went yard to push the lead to 8-4. The final two runs of the game came in the eighth. Brewer reached on an error, Wimmer got hit by a pitch, and Messina knocked a base hit to load the bases with one out. Casas then got plunked to force in a run and make it 9-4, and Hornung walked with the bases still loaded and two outs to get another run in and put Carolina in double digits.
Gamecocks starter Eli Jerzembeck pitched two innings and allowed six hits and four runs. He also walked one batter and struck one out. Dylan Eskew, Nick Proctor, and Cade Austin combined to go the rest of the way, pitching seven innings of shutout baseball. Proctor got the win and is now 3-0. Buccaneers starter Devin MacWatters worked four innings and gave up five hits and four runs. He also issued four walks and struck five batters out. Reliever Eddie Olsen took the loss and is now 1-2.
Messina paced USC at the plate with three hits, while Casas recorded four RBI. Asman, Regino, and James Jett had two hits apiece to lead Charleston Southern, while Rae tallied two RBI.
The Cocks are now 31-6 overall, while the Buccaneers are 17-19 on the season. South Carolina will be back in action on Thursday, when they open up a series against No. 3 Florida. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Founders Park.