Baseball Falls to Kentucky on Saturday Night

COLUMBIA  – Kentucky scored five runs in both the fourth and fifth inning and a late University of South Carolina baseball team rally fell just short as the Gamecocks fell to the Wildcats, 15-13, Sunday afternoon (April 27) at Founders Park.

After the Wildcats scored one in the first, the Gamecocks sent 12 men to the plate in the bottom of the inning, scoring six runs. Kennedy Jones and Dalton Reeves each had two-run singles in the frame. Kentucky scored a run in the second and then five in the fourth and fifth frames to take a 12-6 lead.

Cole Messina got the Gamecocks closer in the sixth with a three-run home run to left. Then in the eighth, Blake Jackson reached on an error that scored Parker Noland and Jones’ sacrifice fly scored Messina, making it 12-11. Kentucky scored three runs in the top of the ninth, but Carolina plated a pair on a bases-loaded hit by pitch to Messina and bases-loaded walk to Jackson. Gavin Casas’ almost gave Carolina the walk-off but Nolan McCarthy made a great catch in center field to end the game.

Austin Brinling had three hits to lead Carolina’s offense. Messina drove in four runs and was 2-for-5 at the plate. Noland and Jones also had two hits in the game.

Eli Jones was tagged with the loss, allowing four earned runs and seven hits with three strikeouts and two walks in 3.2 innings. Tyler Dean pitched two scoreless frames while Jake McCoy had two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth.

POSTGAME NOTES

• Messina tied his season high in RBI. He also had four against Belmont on Feb. 25.
• Carolina now has 60 first-inning runs this season.
• There were eight extra-base hits in the game (three doubles; five home runs)

UP NEXT
Carolina and Kentucky will close out the three-game set on Sunday, April 28 at 3 p.m. The game will be televised on SEC Network.