Gamecock Baseball Notebook

April 15, 2018

COLUMBIA ââ’¬” The University of South Carolina baseball team went 2-2 this past week, defeating The Citadel, 12-1, on Tuesday night in Charleston and winning the series opener at No. 3 Arkansas, 3-2. The Gamecocks fell in a pair of seven-inning games on Saturday.

Record: 20-16
SEC: 6-9
Home: 17-6
Away: 3-8
Neutral: 0-2
Streak: L2

Last Week:
4/10/18 ââ’¬” at The Citadel (W, 12-1)
4/12/18 ââ’¬” at Arkansas (W, 3-2)
4/14/18 ââ’¬” at Arkansas (L, 0-2)
4/14/18 ââ’¬” at Arkansas (L, 0-3)

NOTES: The Gamecocks picked up its fourth win over a nationally-ranked opponent and second over a top-five team with its 3-2 win over No. 3 Arkansas Thursday night. The Gamecocks also have wins over Clemson, Florida and Kentucky, who all were ranked when Carolina played them.

Carlos Cortes was 3-for-5 with a two-run home run to left in the win over the Razorbacks. It was Cortes’ eighth home run of the season and 20th in his career. Cortes is hitting .300 with three home runs and eight RBI in Carolina’s last 10 games.

Sawyer Bridges picked up his second win of the season, pitching 2.2 innings of relief and not allowing a run with a strikeout. Bridges has a microscopic 0.50 ERA in 10 appearances with a save and 11 strikeouts.

Logan Chapman made his first SEC start on Thursday and allowed just two runs with a pair of strikeouts in four innings, helping the Gamecocks to a 3-2 win. Chapman is 2-0 with a 3.93 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 34.1 innings pitched this year.

Jacob Olson had a career high five RBI in the 12-1 win over The Citadel on Tuesday night. He belted a two-run home run in the fourth and cleared the bases with a three-run double in the eighth. Nineteen of Olson’s 24 hits this season have been for extra bases (10 doubles, nine home runs).

Jonah Bride had a 30-game reached base streak snapped in Saturday’s first game of the Arkansas doubleheader. He extended the streak to 30 on Thursday with a single in the eighth inning. Bride has a .305 batting average and has a .416 on-base percentage. Bride also is hitting .346 in conference games.

Justin Row now has the longest active reached base streak at 12 games. Row had three hits in the Saturday doubleheader against Arkansas and is hitting .342 with three doubles, three home runs and 10 RBI.

Adam Hill and Cody Morris each had solid outings on Saturday against Arkansas. Hill struck out five Razorbacks, allowing three hits and two runs. Hill now has 60 strikeouts in just 40.2 innings pitched this year. Morris also pitched five innings and struck out four while allowing just three hits and an unearned run. Morris has a 3.61 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 47.1 innings pitched this season.

Carmen Mlodzinski made his first career start in Tuesday’s win over The Citadel, earning the win while striking out five in five innings pitched and allowing just two hits with no runs. Mlodzinski earned his first career win and now has a 2.45 ERA.

Carolina played two seven-inning games in a doubleheader on Saturday after Friday’s game was postponed due to severe weather. It was the first time the Gamecocks played two seven-inning contests since April 25, 2010 at Georgia. Carolina fell 2-0 and 3-0 in Saturday’s contests.

Noah Campbell returned to the Carolina lineup in Thursday’s win over Arkansas, recording two hits in the leadoff spot. Campbell had not played since March 25 due to a finger injury. He is hitting .292 with three triples and eight RBI.

South Carolina returns to Founders Park for a mini four-game homestand, starting with Tuesday night’s contest against Presbyterian. The Gamecocks then host LSU for a big three-game SEC series Friday through Sunday.

Next Week
4/17/18 ââ’¬” Presbyterian ââ’¬” 7 p.m. (SECN+)
4/20/18 ââ’¬” LSU ââ’¬” 7 p.m. (SECN+)
4/21/18 ââ’¬” LSU ââ’¬” 4 p.m. (SECN+)
4/22/18 ââ’¬” LSU ââ’¬” 1:30 p.m. (SECN+)