May 14, 2015
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina scored a combined eight runs in the sixth and seventh innings on the way to a 10-7 victory over No. 1 LSU on Thursday night. The Gamecocks improve to 32-22 and 13-15 in the SEC while the loss drops The Tigers to 44-9 and 19-8 in league play.
Reed Scott earned the win in relief and improves to 2-3 on the year. The sophomore right-hander allowed just one run on three hits and one walk while striking out one batter in three innings of work. Jake Godfrey suffered the loss for LSU and is now 7-1 on the season. He allowed four runs on a hit with four walks in 0.1 innings.
Max Schrock got the Gamecocks on the board early with a solo home run in the bottom of the first. LSU responded with a solo home run off the bat of Chris Chinea in the top of the second to tie the game at 1-1.
The Tigers took a 5-1 lead in the top of the fourth. A pair of base hits from Connor Hale and Chinea along with a fielding error by Elliott Caldwell gave LSU runners on the corners. Jake Fraley drove in Hale with a RBI single to left and Jared Foster followed with a single to center to load the bases. Danny Zardon’s two-run double brought home both Chinea and Fraley and Foster then scored on a sacrifice fly from Mark Laird.
The Gamecocks pushed across a run in the bottom of the fourth to cut LSU’s lead to 5-2. With two outs, Alex Destino singled to center and advanced to third on a fielding error by Andrew Stevenson. Hunter Taylor knocked a two-out double to right-center and drove in Destino. LSU added a run in the fifth inning.
Down 6-2, South Carolina’s four-run sixth inning tied the game at 6-6. Schrock led off with a single up the middle and Kyle Martin followed with a double to right to put two runners in scoring position. Schrock scored on Caldwell’s RBI groundout and Hunter Taylor brought home Martin with a RBI single. DC Arendas then launched a two-run homer over the right field wall that knotted the game up.
The Gamecocks went ahead 10-6 in the bottom of the seventh. Gene Cone opened the frame with a single to left field, Marcus Mooney drew a walk and both runners then advanced on Schrock’s sacrifice bunt. Four straight walks to Martin, Caldwell, Destino and Taylor pushed across three runs for South Carolina and DC Arendas drove in final run with a sacrifice fly to left.
LSU scored one run in the top of the ninth to cut the Gamecocks’ lead to 10-7.
Carolina’s 11 hits for the evening included a 3-for-4 day at the plate by Schrock and two hits apiece from Taylor and Arendas as well as Martin. Schrock and Martin each scored two runs as well. Caldwell drove in a pair of runs.
GAME CHANGER
DC Arendas’ home run in the sixth inning tied the game and capped off a four-run sixth inning.
KEY STAT
The Gamecock bullpen limited the Tigers to just one run on four hits in the final 3.2 innings.
NOTABLES
• Hunter Taylor tied a career-high with three RBI.
• DC Arendas tied a season-high with three RBI.
• Eight of nine Gamecock position starters reached base and scored at least one run.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Chad Holbrook
“I am proud of my (team). We made a couple mistakes at the plate but (our) young guys stepped up. You can sit over there sometimes and watch your team play and you know the product on the field is a good one and you are proud because of the effort they’re giving and they made this coach happy tonight. Not because we won but because of the way they competed against a great team. LSU is the number one team in the country for a reason. I am not trying to say anything about any of the other opponents that we have played, but that is as good of a college baseball team as we have played here in recent years. I mean they can run, they can throw, they have a big leaguer at shortstop. They all run 6.5 60s. Our boys followed up pitch by pitch and we were able to put two really good innings together in the sixth and the seventh and came out with a big win.”
UP NEXT
South Carolina and LSU continue with game two of the series on Friday at Carolina Stadium with first pitch set for 8 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early for Senior Day festivities beginning at 7:45 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPNU and can be heard on the Gamecock IMG Network including flagship station, 107.5 FM, “The Game.”
