Baseball Splits Double Dip with Tennessee to End Regular Season
COLUMBIA – The University of South Carolina baseball team split a doubleheader with Tennessee on the final day of the regular season Saturday afternoon (May 20) at Founders Park. The Gamecocks won the opener, 6-1, behind a five-run sixth inning and a solid performance on the mound by Jack Mahoney before falling in the nightcap, 12-1.
Braylen Wimmer opened the scoring in game one with a home run in the bottom of the first. Tennessee tied the game at one in the fifth but the Gamecocks took the lead for good in the sixth on five runs off of an RBI singles from Ethan Petry and Gavin Casas, a two-run double by Talmadge LeCroy and an RBI single from Michael Braswell.
Mahoney went six innings, allowing just three hits and a run with a career-high tying nine strikeouts to just one walk. Nick Proctor struck out the side in the seventh to secure the win.
In game two, Cole Messina’s 17th home run of the year in the fourth scored the lone run. Matthew Becker was tagged with the loss, allowing one earned run (four runs) on four hits with three strikeouts and three walks in four innings. Tennessee scored four runs in the fourth and six runs in the seventh.
POSTGAME NOTES
- The Gamecocks honored 10 seniors prior to game one. Noah Hall, James Hicks, Will McGillis, Nick Proctor, Wesley Sweatt, Brett Thomas and Braylen Wimmer along with student managers Bryson Mitchell and Noah Wise and bullpen catcher Mickey Paragano.
- Carolina ends the regular season with 109 home runs.
- The Gamecocks end conference play at 16-13.
- Gavin Casas extended his on-base streak to 13 games.
UP NEXT
Carolina will now look ahead to the postseason, starting with the SEC Tournament at the Hoover Met. The Gamecocks are the sixth seed in the tournament and will face No. 11 Georgia on Tuesday morning (May 23) at 9:30 a.m. CDT (10:30 a.m. EDT) in the single-elimination opening round.
