Baseball Puts Up Crooked Numbers in Win over Princeton
March 9, 2018
COLUMBIA – Junior Adam Hill struck out nine in five innings of work and the University of South Carolina baseball team put crooked numbers up in three innings in a 9-2 win over Princeton Friday night (March 9) at Founders Park.
Hill earned his second win of the year, allowing just two hits and a run in five innings. John Gilreath picked up his first save of the season, striking out eight and allowing just one run and four hits in four innings of relief.
Princeton scored first in the first on an RBI single from Joseph Flynn but the Gamecocks answered in the home half. Freshman Noah Campbell led off with a double that landed between the left fielder and shortstop. Campbell moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a throwing error by the Princeton catcher, tying the game at one.
In the third, Campbell singled to start the frame and scampered home on TJ Hopkins’ triple in the gap in right. Hopkins scored on Jonah Bride’s single up the middle.
Carolina got two more runs in the fifth as Hopkins scored on a passed ball and Madison Stokes came home on a balk. After Princeton scored a run in the top of the eighth, Carolina exploded for four runs in the bottom of the frame as Jacob Olson brought in a pair with a double to left and Matt Willams blasted his second home run of the year, a two-run shot.
Campbell, Hopkins and Bride had two hits apiece for the Gamecocks, while Olson and Williams each had two RBI in the contest.
GAMECHANGER
Adam Hill allowed a run and two hits in the first but Princeton was hitless in the next four innings on the way to a Friday night win.
KEY STAT
Carolina now has 22 home runs after Williams’ two-run home run in the eighth.
NOTABLE
- John Gilreath will have pitched 19 innings in college before his 18th birthday, which is tomorrow. Gilreath struck out eight innings to pick up his first save of the season.
- TJ Hopkins had two extra-base hits on the night for the Gamecocks. Hopkins now has five doubles, a triple and a home run this season.
- South Carolina now has a 7-1 series advantage on Princeton after tonight’s win.
- Five of South Carolina’s nine hits were extra-base hits.
UP NEXT
South Carolina and Princeton will play a doubleheader Saturday (March 10) starting at 1 p.m. Game two will take place 40 minutes after the conclusion of game one.
