Pitzer's Strong Start Lifts Baseball to Sweep of Vanderbilt

COLUMBIA  – Tyler Pitzer struck out nine without allowing an earned run and the University of South Carolina baseball team belted three home runs as the Gamecocks swept Vanderbilt in a 10-2 win Sunday afternoon (March 24) at Founders Park.

Carolina scored six runs in the first as Ethan Petry brought in two with a single, two more scored on an error in left field and Gavin Casas hit his third home run of the year, a two-run blast to right. The Gamecocks scored single runs in the second and third frames as Kennedy Jones homered in the second and Dylan Brewer singled in Talmadge LeCroy in the third.

The story was Pitzer, who allowed just three hits and walked only one in his first start as a Gamecock. He retired the first 10 batters and had four 1-2-3 frames. Matthew Becker finished out the game, striking out three and allowing one hit in 2.2 innings.

Carolina ended the scoring with a Brewer home run in the seventh and a Messina RBI double in the eighth.

Brewer, Messina and Parker Noland had two hits apiece. Petry, Brewer and Casas drove in two runs apiece.

POSTGAME NOTES

• Pitzer lowered his ERA to 0.48 after not allowing an earned run today.
• Petry also has reached base in the last 34 games dating back to last season.
• Carolina has won the last five contests against Vanderbilt in Founders Park.
• The last time the Gamecocks swept Vanderbilt was in 2009.
• Carolina had 11 extra-base hits and outscored Vandy 26-9 in the three-game series.

UP NEXT
Carolina hosts Presbyterian on Tuesday night (March 26) at 6:30 p.m. at Founders Park. The game will be streamed on SEC Network Plus.