Baseball Hangs On for One-Run Win at The Citadel

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The University of South Carolina baseball team jumped out to a 9-1 lead over The Citadel Tuesday night (March 12) in Charleston, but the Bulldogs battled back to a run before senior Gage Hinson came in for a four-save and preserved a 10-9 win over the Bulldogs for its fourth win in a row.

Carolina posted seven runs in the first two innings. The Gamecocks put runners on the corners in the first after Andrew Eyster reached on an error and TJ Hopkins singled to right. Luke Berryhill brought in a run with a double to left and Jacob Olson drove in a run on a groundout. Carolina erupted in the second, highlighted by Eyster’s RBI single and Hopkins’ two-run double.

After The Citadel scored a run in the fourth, it remained 7-1 until the sixth. Berryhill drove in a run on a sacrifice fly to right and Eyster scored on a wild pitch, making it 9-1. The Citadel started its comeback in the bottom of the sixth, scoring four runs, three on a bases-clearing double to left by Tyler Corbitt. The Bulldogs scored a run in the seventh but Carolina answered in the eighth on Berryhill’s bases-loaded walk that scored George Callil.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Gamecocks got two quick outs but a pair of singles scored a run. Ben Peden made it a one-run game with a triple to center. After a walk, Hinson came in and induced a flyout to center to end the Bulldog threat. Hinson retired the side in order in the ninth for his first save as a Gamecock.
Callil
and Hopkins had two hits apiece while Berryhill drove in four. Eyster and Callil had three runs apiece.

Daniel Lloyd earned the win, pitching the first 2.1 innings in a pitch-count start. He allowed three hits and a run with three strikeouts and a walk. Cole Ganopulos also had three strikeouts in two innings of relief.
 

GAMECHANGER

Hinson came in and retired the final four Bulldogs to earn his first save. The Citadel had the tying run 90 feet away in the eighth but Hinson induced a flyout to get out of the inning.

KEY STAT

Berryhill had four RBI on a double, a pair of sacrifice flies and a bases-loaded walk. He leads the Gamecocks with 25 RBI on the year.

NOTABLE

• Carolina sweeps the two-game season series with The Citadel, winning 9-0 in Columbia on March 5.
• The Gamecocks struck out 10 batters on the night, but also gave up 15 hits and walked five.
• Carolina moves to 2-0 on the road this season and played just its second night game of 2019.
• Callil picked up his first triple of the year and now has three extra-base hits this season.

UP NEXT

South Carolina opens play in the Southeastern Conference this Friday (March 15) with a 7 p.m. first pitch against Georgia at Founders Park. The game will be streamed on SEC Network +.