Baseball Falls to Kentucky to Close Out Series

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The University of South Carolina baseball team fell to Kentucky, 6-2, to close out its home conference schedule. The Gamecocks took the series by winning the first two games of the series.

For the third straight game, Kentucky scored a run in the top of the first and for the third straight game, Carolina answered with scoring in the third. Chris Cullen was hit by a pitch to open the frame. He went to second on Jonah Beamon’s sacrifice bunt and moved to third on a bunt single from Nick Neville. Cullen scored on an RBI groundout by TJ Hopkins.

Kentucky took the lead for good in the fourth, scoring a run on a groundout and an unearned run on a sacrifice bunt. Then in the fifth, Ryan Shinn’s double made it 4-1. Kentucky scored a pair in the sixth, highlighted by T.J. Collet’s single to right. Carolina scored the game’s final run in the sixth as Hopkins singled and Jacob Olson brought him in with a double to left.

Daniel Lloyd earned the start for the Gamecocks and took the loss, allowing two runs on four hits with a strikeout and three walks. Wesley Sweatt pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, striking out a pair in relief. Zach Thompson earned the win for the Wildcats, striking out eight in a six-inning start.

GAMECHANGER

Kentucky put up two runs in the fourth on just one hit to take a 3-1 lead it would not relinquish.

KEY STAT

Carolina was outhit in the game 11-3 as Hopkins, Olson and Neville had a hit apiece on the day.

NOTABLE

• On Mother’s Day, the Carolina player’s mothers threw out the first pitch.
• Despite the loss, Carolina picks up its first SEC series win of the season.
• Carolina is now tied with Kentucky at 7-20 on the year. Carolina owns the tiebreak with the Wildcats, but loses the tiebreak with Alabama, who is 7-19 going into today.

UP NEXT

Carolina wraps up the home portion of its schedule Tuesday night against USC Upstate. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. and it will be streamed on SEC Network +.