March 11, 2011
March 11, 2011 • Columbia, S.C.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| CSU Bakersfield | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| South Carolina | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 5 | 5 | 1 |
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Columbia, S.C. – Jackie Bradley Jr. went 3-for-3 with a homer and three RBI and starting pitcher Michael Roth improved to 4-0 on the year with eight innings of work tying a career-high with nine strikeouts as South Carolina defeated Cal State Bakersfield 5-1 in the first of a three-game college baseball series. Carolina is now 10-1 on the year while the loss drops CSU Bakersfield to 11-4 for the season.
Roth allowed just one unearned run in a season-high eight innings pitched and struck out nine while walking just one to pick up the victory. Roth also had nine strikeouts in a win over Southern Illinois on Feb. 25, 2011. John Taylor pitched a scoreless ninth inning with a pair of strikeouts to seal the Gamecock victory. CSU Bakersfield starter Mike McCarthy had a solid start despite the loss. He is now 1-2 on the year. He allowed four runs, two earned, on four hits with seven strikeouts and four walks.
Cal State Bakersfield got on the board with an unearned run in the top of the first inning. Leadoff hitter Andrew Letourneau opened the game reaching second base on a throwing error by Gamecock shortstop Peter Mooney. After a sacrifice bunt, he would score on Jeremy Rodriguez’s RBI single up the middle off the glove of Roth.
Carolina answered back though in the bottom of the first. Adam Matthews connected with a one-out double to the gap in left-center and scored on Jackie Bradley Jr.’s RBI single up the middle. Bradley would eventually score with two outs as the Gamecocks caught a break as pop up off the bat of Brady Thomas was dropped by CSUB shortstop Tyler Shryock giving Carolina a 2-1 lead
It would remain that way until the bottom of the fifth when Bradley tallied his third hit of the game, a two-run homer to left-center to give Carolina a 4-1 advantage. CSUB looked to make a rally in the seventh inning with a runner on first and one out. DC Legg drilled a deep fly ball to left-center that looked to be an extra base hit but was caught by Bradley, who ran the ball down before running into the fence in left-center for the second out of the inning. After a single by Cael Brockmeyer gave CSUB a pair of base runners, Roth struck out pinch hitter Mick Gaston to keep the Gamecocks ahead by three runs.
Bradley’s homer was his fourth of the season. Carolina added some insurance in the eighth inning as Brady Thomas tripled and scored on a passed ball by CSUB catcher Jeremy Rodridguez.
Bradley had three of the Gamecocks’ five hits and also scored a pair of runs. Cal State Bakersfield finished with six hits on the afternoon with six different players tallying one hit apiece.
Game two of the series is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m. at Carolina Stadium. Live video broadcast is available at GamecocksOnline.com with the game also available on the Gamecock Radio Network.
