April 25, 2014

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COLUMBIA, S.C. – Eighth-ranked South Carolina pounded out 10 hits en route to a 9-3 victory over eight-ranked Alabama on Friday night at Carolina Stadium. This is the fifth-straight game that the Gamecocks have tallied 10 or more hits. South Carolina improves to 33-10 on the year and 11-8 in SEC play while the loss drops Alabama to 28-14 and 12-7 in the league.

Grayson Greiner and Tanner English both went 3-for-4 with two RBI while Gene Cone finished the game 1-for-1 with a three-run triple. Mikey White, Georgie Salem, Ben Moore and Kyle Overstreet all had two hits apiece to lead Alabama at the plate.

South Carolina starter Jordan Montgomery worked 6.1 innings to earn the win and is now 6-3 on the year. The junior left-hander allowed two runs, both earned, on eight hits and two walks while striking out eight batters. Joel Seddon added 1.1 innings of relief to earn his 11th save of the season. Spencer Turnbull suffers the loss for the Crimson Tide and falls to 5-3 on the year. He allowed six runs, four earned, on six hits with six walks and two strikeouts.

Alabama went ahead 1-0 in the top of the first. After back-to-back one-out singles from Salem and Moore, Overstreet knocked a two-out single through the right side that brought home Salem.

The Gamecocks countered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead. Marcus Mooney opened the frame with a single down the right field line, moved to second as Gene Cone drew a walk and scored on a throwing error by Alabama third baseman Chance Vincent. Cone was then able to score on Grayson Greiner’s RBI groundout.

The Crimson Tide evened the score with a solo home run off the bat of Mikey White in the third inning.

South Carolina reclaimed the lead with a four-run fourth inning. Greiner led off with a single that took a bad hop off of Vincent at third base and advanced to second as DC Arendas drew a walk. Tanner English then knocked a 1-1 pitch to the right side for a base hit scoring Greiner. After a walk to Mooney loaded the bases, Gene Cone ripped a bases-clearing triple to right field that gave the Gamecocks a four-run cushion.

The Gamecocks added some insurance runs in the eighth inning starting with Greiner sending a 2-1 pitch from Alabama reliever Mitch Greer soaring over the left field wall. It marked Greiner’s fifth homer of the year, tying him for the team lead as well as his team-leading 40th RBI. Taylor Widener followed with a base hit and Elliot Caldwell’s sacrifice bunt advanced him to second. A pair of RBI singles off the bats of Arendas and English increased South Carolina’s lead to 9-2.

Alabama was able to plate one more run in the top of the ninth to cut South Carolina’s lead to 9-3. After Moore knocked a double into shallow center field, Overstreet drove him in with a two-out RBI single.

The series continues Saturday with first pitch slated for 2 p.m. at Carolina Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN and can be heard on the Gamecock IMG Network including flagship station, 107.5 FM, “The Game.”