March 9, 2016

Box Score | Photo Gallery 1 | Photo Gallery 2

COLUMBIA, S.C. — John Jones and Alex Destino each homered and 16th-ranked South Carolina scored five runs in the first three innings on the way to a 5-4 win over Furman on Wednesday night at Founders Park. The Gamecocks improve to 12-2 with Furman dropping to 7-5 for the season.

Right-hander Tyler Haswell earned the win in relief and is 2-0 on the year. He allowed one run on two hits in 2.1 innings. Left-hander Josh Reagan pitched a perfect ninth to earn his fourth save this season. Furman reliever Will Dvorak suffered the loss and is 0-1 on the year.

The Gamecocks broke ahead 3-0 in the bottom of the first inning on back-to-back home runs from Jones and Destino. After TJ Hopkins lead off with a walk, Jones crushed the first pitch he saw for his team-leading fourth home run. That was followed up by Destino’s third homer of the year.

Furman answered with a pair of runs in the second inning with a two-run single by Matt Towarnicky. With two outs and a full count, Towarnicky knocked a single into right field to score both runners. Furman tied it at 3-3 in the third inning on a two-out RBI single from Jordan Simpson.

The Gamecocks regain the lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Carolina loaded the bases with one out on a pair of walks and an infield single. DC Arendas would drive in Destino with a sac fly to left field. After Carolina loaded the bases a second time, Hopkins walked to score Thompson-Williams and give Carolina a 5-3 lead. Furman would score a run in the fifth, but that would be it for the rest of the game.

GAME CHANGER
South Carolina broke a 3-3 tie with two runs in the third inning.

KEY STAT
Haswell, Scott and Reagan combined to allow just one run on four hits in the final six innings of play.

NOTABLES
– Dom Thompson-Williams has reached base in all 14 games this season.
– Carolina’s six stolen bases is a Founders Park record, besting the previous record of five.
– South Carolina played their eighth contest without recording an error, including their third straight game.
– John Jones and Thompson-Williams each had two hits to lead the Gamecocks at the plate.
– Josh Reagan has not allowed a run in 10.1 innings of relief this season.
– South Carolina won its first game of the season when being out hit by its opponent.

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Chad Holbrook
“We feel very fortunate to have won that game tonight after Furman outhit us 10-7. We did get some big swings of the bat in the first inning. We found a way to get two more in the third and that was about it. We struggled big time against [Harry] Norman. I don’t really have an explanation for how we performed in the last six or seven innings, but we have to figure that out. We did pitch well at the end. Tyler [Haswell] gave us a big 2.1 innings. He gave up a couple of hits, but he did fine. Reed [Scott] and [Josh] Reagan were terrific at the end of the game. There is no such thing as a bad win. I told our team that sometimes to have a great season you have to win when you don’t necessarily play your best. We found a way to win tonight and it’s a good win. We’ll move on tomorrow, try to get better on the practice field and get ready for Charleston Southern.”

UP NEXT
The Gamecocks host Charleston Southern this weekend for a three-game series at Founders Park. First pitch is set for Friday at 7 p.m. It will be broadcast live on SEC Network +. The game can be heard on the Gamecock IMG Network including flagship station, 107.5 FM, “The Game.”