Baseball Welcomes Mercer to Founders Park for Weekend Set

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina baseball team hosts Mercer in a three-game series this weekend at Founders Park. The series opens Friday afternoon (March 5) at 4 p.m. Saturday’s game is also at 4 p.m. with Sunday’s game beginning at noon. Friday and Saturday’s games will be streamed on SEC Network Plus while Sunday’s game is televised on SEC Network with Mike Morgan and Todd Walker on the call. Every Gamecock baseball game will be broadcast on the Gamecock Radio Network. Carolina scored 16 runs in the first four innings of play as the Gamecocks cruised to a 19-8 win over the Eagles on Tuesday night (March 2).
 
PARKING INFORMATION
For the 2021 season, there will not be shuttles from either the Key Road Gravel Lot or the Colonial Life Arena parking lot. There will be passes at lot 1 available for $10 apiece.
 
Parking Lot Openings
4 p.m. Games – Gates open at 3 p.m., all lots open at 2:30 p.m.
Noon Games – Gates open at 11 a.m., all lots open at 10:30 a.m. 

PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Friday
South Carolina Thomas Farr (R-Jr. RHP) 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 12.0 IP, 3 BB, 15 SO
Mercer Tommy Green (Jr. RHP) 0-1, 10.80 ERA, 3.1 IP, 1 BB, 4 SO
Saturday
South Carolina Brannon Jordan (Sr. RHP) 0-0, 5.62 ERA, 8.0 IP, 8 BB, 12 SO
Mercer Taylor Lobus (R-Sr. RHP) 1-1, 5.56 ERA, 11.1 IP, 2 BB, 13 SO
Sunday
South Carolina Julian Bosnic (R-So. LHP) 0-0, 2.08 ERA, 4.1 IP, 4 BB, 12 SO
Mercer Jackson Kelley (So. RHP) 1-1, 5.19 ERA, 8.2 IP, 2 BB, 10 SO
 
SCOUTING MERCER
The Bears were swept by Southern Illinois in Macon this past weekend. RJ Yeager had a pair of hits in the series finale, a 5-2 loss to the Salukis. Trevor Austin leads Mercer with a .429 batting average while Ryan Archibald has three home runs and five RBI. On the mound, Garett Delano has not allowed a run in 7.2 innings of relief, striking out nine batters.
 
SERIES VS. MERCER
Carolina leads the all-time series with Mercer, 28-8, and has win 16 straight games against the Bears, dating back to 1980. The teams have not met on the diamond since April 11, 1989, when Carolina swept a pair of seven-inning games, winning 3-1 and 1-0.
  
RUNS APLENTY VS. WINTHROP
Carolina scored its most runs in a game since June 5, 2016, in a 19-8 win over Winthrop on Tuesday, March 2. The Gamecocks scored 16 runs in the first four innings of play, helped by five RBI from Joe Satterfield and home runs from Brady Allen and Andrew Eyster. Carolina scored 23 runs in the 2016 Columbia Regional in a win over Rhode Island.
 
GAMECOCKS SECURE SERIES WIN OVER CLEMSON
For the second time in three seasons, Carolina has won the series over Clemson. This time, after a rain out on Friday night, the Gamecocks had back-to-back walk-off wins over the Tigers on Feb. 27 and 28. Andrew Eyster delivered the walk-off hit in both games of the series. His double in Greenville on Saturday drove in Brady Allen in the bottom of the 11th. He then had a walk-off single in the ninth in Columbia on Sunday. The third game will be played on May 11 in Clemson.

EYSTER SEND EVERYONE HOME — TWICE
Andrew Eyster had walk-off hits in back-to-back wins over Clemson on Feb. 27-28. The senior from Ocala, Fla., doubled in the 11th inning in a 3-2 win on Saturday in Greenville. He then had a walk-off single in the ninth inning in the 8-7 win on Sunday in Columbia. Eyster is hitting .455 with five doubles, a triple, a home run and six RBI in eight games played against the Tigers.

UP NEXT
The Gamecocks are at The Citadel Wednesday night (March 10) at 7 p.m. at Joe Riley Park in Charleston, S.C.