Gamecocks Fall 4-2 to Alabama in Series Opener on Friday
March 24, 2017
COLUMBIA, S.C. ââ’¬” Fourth ranked South Carolina broke ahead two runs in the bottom of the first, but homers from Cody Henry and Chandler Taylor in the third and fourth innings and an unearned run in the top of the ninth lifted Alabama to a 4-2 win on Friday night at Founders Park. The Crimson Tide is now 12-10 overall and 1-3 in the SEC with the Gamecocks 15-6 and 3-1 in league play. The loss snaps South Carolina’s eight-game winning streak.
Junior right-hander Jake Walters earned the win, improving to 4-2 on the year, after giving up two runs on five hits with six walks and four strikeouts. Suchey struck out five and allowed just one hit in 3.2 innings of relief to pick up his second save of the season. Gamecock sophomore right-hander Adam Hill suffered the loss and is 1-3 on the season. He allowed three runs on eight hits with one walk and nine strikeouts in six innings of work.
Four singles gave the Gamecocks an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. TJ Hopkins led off with a single up the middle, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch After Matt Williams walked to put runners on first and third, Alex Destino drove Hopkins in with a single to right. Chris Cullen added a RBI single as well.
Alabama cut the lead in half in the third on a solo homer by Henry, who launched the second pitch he saw from Hill over the left field wall.
Chandler Taylor gave Alabama a 3-2 lead in the top of the fourth with a two-out, two-run homer to right field. The Crimson Tide added another run in the top of the ninth to go up by two.
GAME CHANGER
Chandler Taylor’s two-out, two-run homer gave Alabama a lead they would not relinquish.
KEY STAT
After allowing five hits in the first two innings, Alabama held the Gamecocks to one hit in the final seven innings.
NOTABLES
– Matt Williams has safely reached base in 19 consecutive games. He walked three times, tying an individual high by a Gamecock player in a game. Alex Destino also had three walks last week at Tennessee.
– Alex Destino extended his hitting streak to six games. He went 1-for-4 tonight with one RBI.
– Jonah Bride owns a nine-game hitting streak. He went 1-for-3 at the plate.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Chad Holbrook “Story of the game was we had their really good pitcher on the ropes there in the first inning, bases loaded, nobody out after two runs in the inning. He made some really good pitches and got out of it and we couldn’t scratch again. And you know, that obviously came back to get us. Sometimes you’ve got to give credit to the other team when you don’t take advantage of some opportunities because he made some really, really good pitches with his back against the wall, but certainly we’ve got to find a way to score another run there when the bases are loaded and nobody out. Tonight we didn’t and it came back to get us. We pitched well enough to win, that kept us in the game. Adam [Hill], Reed [Scott] and Colie [Bowers] were fine to give up four runs on a Friday night in this league and you’ve got to find a way to win. We just weren’t good enough tonight offensively and their pitchers tonight had a lot to do with that, but that being said, it was a disappointing start to the series. We’ve got another game tomorrow, won three out of four so far to start in this league and you know it’s hard to win in this league so you’ve got to get back on the saddle tomorrow and try to play your best game, and that’s what we’ll try to do. “
UP NEXT
South Carolina is back in action on Saturday, March 25 at 4 p.m. for the second game in the three-game series with Alabama at Founders Park. It will be broadcast live on SEC Network Plus. The game can also be heard on the Gamecock IMG Network including flagship station, 107.5 FM, “The Game.”
