March 5, 2013

Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Freshman left-hander Jack Wynkoop retired the first 16 batters he faced and was backed by an offense that pounded out 14 hits as sixth ranked South Carolina (9-2) upended Ball State (5-5) 10-0 on Tuesday evening in the first of a two-game baseball series at Carolina Stadium. It is the Gamecocks third shutout victory in the last four games. The series concludes on Wednesday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. Live video broadcast is available at GamecocksOnline.com. The game can also be heard on the Gamecock Radio Network from IMG College including flagship station 107.5 FM, “The Game.”

Wynkoop allowed just two hits in six innings of work with no walks and struck out five batters to earn the win. He is now 2-0 on the year. Ball State starting pitcher Nestor Bautista worked 3.1 innings and allowed seven runs, six earned, on nine hits with three walks and two strikeouts. His record drops to 0-2 for the season.

South Carolina broke ahead 3-0 in the bottom of the second inning. Connor Bright led off the inning with a base hit up the middle followed by a single off the bat of Dante Rosenberg. With one out, Tanner English would drive a base hit into the gap in right-center scoring Bright. That was followed by another single into right field from Graham Saiko scoring Rosenberg. With two outs, a wild pitch and a passed ball would score English giving the Gamecocks a three-run lead.

Carolina extended the lead to 4-0 in the third inning. LB Dantzler was hit by a pitch to open the inning and Max Schrock singled to give Carolina a pair of runners on base. After a sacrifice from Bright moved the runners into scoring position, Dante Rosenberg would drive in Dantzler with a RBI groundout.

A three-run homer from Joey Pankake gave Carolina a seven-run lead in the fourth inning. After a one-out single from Saiko and a walk to Vergason, Pankake knocked a 1-0 pitch from Bautista over the left-centerfield wall for his first homer of the season.

Carolina made it 8-0 in the sixth inning. Three walks loaded the bases and led to a run as Dante Rosenberg knocked a two-out base hit to the left side as the infield could not come up with a throw as Rosenberg made his way down the line for an infield single scoring Pankake. The lead increased to 9-0 in the seventh inning as pinch hitters TJ Costen and George Iskenderian each walked with one out and scored on a two-out RBI single from Brison Celek. A two-out infield single for Tanner English made it 10-0 in the eighth inning after Sean Sullivan walked and advanced on a pair of wild pitches.

All nine Gamecock position starters reached base at least once. Graham Saiko went 3-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored. English went 2-for-3 with two RBI and has reached base safely in all 11 games on the year. Dante Rosenberg was 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI. Joey Pankake scored a pair of runs along with his three-run homer. Dantzler extended his hitting streak to eight games.

South Carolina head coach Chad Holbrook announced after the game that sophomore left-hander Jordan Montgomery will be shut down for two weeks from pitching due to a stress reaction to his left arm.