March 31, 2015
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Three Gamecock pitchers combined for a two-hitter and Elliot Caldwell went 2-for-4 with a triple and a RBI single as 13th ranked South Carolina defeated The Citadel 2-0 on Tuesday night at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. The Gamecocks improve to 20-9 with The Citadel now 14-13 on the year.
Right-hander Tyler Haswell pitched four scoreless inning in his second start of the year and allowed just one hit and three walks with three strikeouts. Senior right-hander Cody Mincey followed with four scoreless innings allowing just one hit and one walk and striking out a career-high seven batters to earn the win. He is 1-1 on the year. Taylor Widener pitched one perfect inning of relief with two strikeouts to pick up his seventh save of the year.
South Carolina broke ahead 1-0 in the top of the second inning. Caldwell hammered the first pitch he saw from Thomas Byelick for a triple off the wall in center field and scored on Madison Stokes’ one-out sac fly to the warning track in left-center.
It remained that way until the eighth inning when the Gamecocks took advantage of a Bulldog error to score an unearned run. Max Schrock reached base on a fielding error by first baseman Drew Ellis and a muffed throw moved him over to second base. With two outs and Schrock on second, Caldwell knocked a base hit up the middle to score Schrock.
Caldwell went 2-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored to lead the Gamecocks at the plate.
GAME CHANGER
Caldwell’s triple off the wall and Stokes’ sacrifice fly gave the Gamecocks a lead it would never relinquish in the second inning.
KEY STAT
Haswell, Mincey and Widener limited The Citadel to just two singles while striking out 12 batters in the Gamecocks’ fifth shutout of the year.
NOTABLES
• Elliott Caldwell’s second inning triple was his team-leading third of the season.
• Freshman right-hander Tyler Haswell worked a career-high four innings in his second career start. He allowed no runs on one hit with three walks and three strikeouts.
• Senior right-hander Cody Mincey struck out a career-high seven batters in a career-high four innings pitched.
• The Gamecocks have played 11 consecutive games decided by three runs or less. South Carolina has a 5-6 mark in those contests.
• Senior first baseman Kyle Martin’s hitting streak was snapped at 15 games.
QUOTABLE
South Carolina Head Coach Chad Holbrook
“It was a very important win. It was probably a little bit magnified with some of the bumps we have had the last couple of weeks. It has always been very difficult to come (to Charleston to play The Citadel) and win. It’s a big win for us and good to see some guys pitch extremely well. Our kids fought, scratched, played hard and that is all I can ask of them.”
“(Tyler) Haswell gave us a chance and got off to a good start. Cody (Mincey) was spectacular, that might have been the best he has thrown since last year. It was good to give Taylor (Widener) the ball in a save situation, in a little bit of a tight spot. He had good life on his fastball.”
UP NEXT
South Carolina heads to Starkville, Miss. for a three-game SEC series vs. Mississippi State. The series opens on Thursday, April 2 with first pitch at 8 p.m. ET televised live on ESPNU. It can also be heard on the Gamecock IMG Network including flagship station, 107.5 FM “The Game.”
