Baseball Opens 2024 with Win over Miami (Ohio)
COLUMBIA – The University of South Carolina baseball team scored five runs in the bottom of the second and held Miami’s offense to one run buoyed by a six-inning Eli Jones start in a 5-1 win over the Redhawks on Opening Day (Friday, Feb. 16) at Founders Park.
Jones earned the win for Carolina, striking out five and allowing three hits and a first-inning run in six innings of work. Chris Veach pitched two huge innings, coming in and leaving the bases loaded in the seventh and pitching a scoreless eighth. Garrett Gainey earned his first save as a Gamecock, striking out a batter in two-thirds of an inning.
Carolina scored all its runs in the fifth. Cole Messina led off the inning with a double to right. He scored on Talmadge LeCroy’s single to right center. A walk to Gavin Casas was followed by Tyler Causey’s RBI single. Dylan Brewer drove in a run with a long single and Will Tippett reached on a bunt single with a throwing error, scoring Casas. Blake Jackson ended the scoring with an RBI groundout to the pitcher.
Six Gamecocks had one hit apiece in the victory.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Carolina improved to 91-41 all-time in season openers.
- Jones picked up his sixth career victory on the mound in a Gamecock uniform.
- Carolina had its first Opening Day sellout since 2017 against UNC Greensboro.
- Before the game, the Gamecocks had a ceremony for Tommy Moody, Carolina’s radio analyst for 23 seasons, who passed away in October.
- Carolina’s pitching stranded 12 Redhawks runners on base.
UP NEXT
Carolina and Miami (Ohio) continue the opening three-game set on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 17) at noon. The game will be televised on SEC Network Plus.
