Jack's takes from South Carolina's 10-2 win over Missouri on Friday
Not even a long roadtrip could slow down South Carolina to start the weekend. The No. 15 Gamecocks picked up a 10-2 win over Missouri to open a three-game series on Friday.
It was a great team win with plenty of contributors. Here are my takes from the victory.
Offense stays red hot
At this point, there really isn’t a weak point in this new-look South Carolina lineup. One through nine, each player is capable of doing damage. It makes sense why Cole Messina was calling the lineup “Murderers Row”.
Speaking of Messina, he had the biggest night amongst the lineup at the plate. He went 2-for-4 with five RBIs. His hits were both crucial in the game, as he hit a two-run double in the fifth, which would be the difference in the game. Then, he capped off the scoring with a three-run homer in the eighth to give the Gamecocks double-digit runs.
It’s been really impressive to see how good this offense can be. Over the last four games, the Gamecocks have scored a combined 48 runs. Talmadge LeCroy also had a big game, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs. And Ethan Petry hit a laser beam solo homer in the third inning on Friday.
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Bullpen picks up Roman Kimball big time
After only getting one inning out of Kimball, who started Friday’s game, the bullpen had its work cut out. But bringing in Ty Good after Kimball continued to receive strong results. The right-hander pitched four scoreless innings to pick up his fifth win of the year.
Good allowed one hit and struck out seven while he walked two. He probably could’ve gone longer with just 68 pitches. But it felt like the right time to pull him. Afterwards, Garrett Gainey came in and picked up right where Good left off, striking out five without a walk in 2.1 shutout innings.
Parker Marlatt pitched 0.2 innings with a strikeout to get through the eighth. With the game in hand, Tyler Dean came on to seal the deal in the ninth. He got into a bases loaded jam with one out, but he got a line out then a strikeout to end the game.
Overall, South Carolina’s bullpen gave up no runs on four hits with 14 strikeouts to three walks. Despite having to pitch eight innings, they did a really nice job in picking up the slack and getting the job done.
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Timely hitting makes the difference
There were more than a few chances for Missouri to creep back into the game on Friday. The Tigers were able to get some runners on base but could never cash in outside of the two homers in the second inning.
On the night, Missouri went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and 1-for-10 with two outs. And this really made a difference in what was a 5-2 game going into the eighth. Then, South Carolina broke through and scored five more runs to put the game on ice. I’ve said it all year, good teams make you pay for mistakes. That’s exactly what happened on Friday.
The Gamecocks were 5-for-16 with RISP and 6-for-19 with any runners on base. This was more than good enough to win the game. If they can keep this up the rest of the weekend, good things will definitely happen.
