Bats Help Baseball Even Series with Oklahoma

COLUMBIA – The University of South Carolina baseball team belted out 14 hits and scored in six of its eight innings in an 11-5 win over No. 12 Oklahoma Saturday afternoon (March 15) at Ray Tanner Field at Founders Park. Carolina’s win evened up the SEC Opening Weekend series.

KJ Scobey opened the scoring for Carolina in the second with a solo home run way out of Founders Park. Oklahoma added a pair on a Jaxon Willits home run in the third but Carolina came back with a run in the third and then took the lead for good in the fourth on another long home run, this time off Kennedy Jones’ bat, and a big two-run single from Dalton Mashore.

Carolina plated four in the fifth and then single runs in the seventh and eighth innings.

Jones had three hits on the day and drove in a pair, while Jordan Carrion, Nathan Hall and Ethan Petry all had two hits. Jones and Mashore each drove in two runs.

Jake McCoy earned the win, striking out six in five innings, allowing nine hits and four runs. Tyler Pitzer picked up his first save, striking out six while not allowing a hit. He walked five and gave up an unearned run.

POSTGAME NOTES

• Hall has a 10-game hitting streak and a 13-game reached base streak after his two hits in today’s win.
• The 14 hits were one off a season high, set against Gardner-Webb on Feb. 25.
• Carolina had five extra-base hits with homers from Scobey and Jones and doubles by Jones, Hall and Jase Woita.
• Carolina’s pitching has struck out 22 batters in the two games against the Sooners.

UP NEXT
Carolina and Oklahoma wrap up the three-game set on Sunday afternoon (March 16) with a 2:30 p.m. first pitch. The time was moved back an hour due to potential of heavy thunderstorms in the morning. The game will be streamed on SEC Network Plus.