Nightmarish first inning sets South Carolina back in blowout loss to Arkansas

South Carolina is quickly learning how hard it is to play a team with a strong offense to go along with an already-established pitching staff.

For years, Arkansas could always count on having great pitching. That’s a big part of why the Razorbacks have made four trips to the College World Series since 2015. But they never found the same success with their offense as they haven’t hit above .300 in a season since 2010.

But now that they have the offense that they’ve been longing for, they’ve become a force to be reckoned with. And it’s shown in the first two games of the weekend against South Carolina.

After losing in run-rule fashion in the series opener, the Gamecocks didn’t stand a chance in a 12-3 loss on Saturday.

“(Arkansas is) just such a good team. They’re just relentless on offense, really,” head coach Paul Mainieri told GamecockCentral. “If you make a bad pitch, you’re going to pay for it. If you don’t make a play, you’re going to pay for it.”

It didn’t take long before the wheels came completely off for South Carolina (17-7, 1-4 SEC). Jake McCoy was one out away from retiring the side in the bottom of the first. Little did he or anyone know at the time, but he wouldn’t record another out in his time on the mound.

In a half-inning that lasted nearly 40 minutes, the Razorbacks sent 14 batters to the plate and scored eight runs, all coming with two outs. After two quick outs, the next 11 batters reached base before the inning eventually came to an end.

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McCoy’s first mistake came when he plunked Arkansas’ three-hole hitter to put a runner on first with two outs. Two batters later, he gave up a three-run homer to Brent Iredale. He then loaded the bases again, setting up for a walk to bring home another run. It looked like he was going to get out of the inning on a groundball hit toward shortstop, but Henry Kaczmar made his second error of the series, and a fifth run scored.

With McCoy’s pitch count steadily rising, Mainieri pulled the plug on his starter’s outing. McCoy, who threw 46 pitches, only got two outs and was charged with eight runs, four of which were earned. He struck out and walked another with two hit-by-pitches.

“I just couldn’t, in good conscience, leave him out there,” Mainieri said. “I mean, I think he would have eventually gotten out of it, but you can’t let a guy throw 50-plus pitches in an inning. So, yeah, it was a shame, because I know the kid was competing hard, and he’s been pitching so well for us. It was just a catastrophic inning for us.”

Now down in an eight-run hole, there was still a lot of game left to go, but South Carolina had its work cut out. The Gamecocks struck right back with three runs and had their opportunities throughout the afternoon to do more.

Their best chance to close the gap came in the second when Ethan Petry strolled to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. But he grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the threat.

“He just didn’t get many good swings off today. I don’t know what to say,” Mainieri said. “I mean, he’s up there trying his best, but they pitched him tough. He didn’t come through today, but hopefully tomorrow he will.”

Then in the fifth, South Carolina had the bases loaded once again, this time with one out. Luck hadn’t been on its side at all in the first two games, though. Razorbacks shortstop Wehiwa Aloy made a leaping catch to rob Jase Woita of a potential RBI hit. He then threw back to second base for an inning-ending double play.

Runs were hard to come by for most of the day. Once the Gamecocks knocked Arkansas starter Gabe Gaeckle out of the game early, Aiden Jimenez tossed 4.1 scoreless innings. He struck out four without issuing a walk. Will McEntire pitched the final three innings and only allowed one hit.

For all that went wrong, South Carolina received some respectable relief appearances from its bullpen. Roman Kimball and Ashton Crowther combined to pitch the next five innings following McCoy’s brief outing. They each gave up two runs but showed some good stuff at times.

Zach Russell retired all four batters that he faced and struck out three. Jackson Soucie found himself in a tight jam with a runner on third and one out in the eighth. But the left-hander managed to keep the game from ending in run-rule fashion by getting the final two hitters out, striking out one.

Just like the game itself, though, Mainieri felt the bullpen’s efforts weren’t good enough. Heading into the series finale, he’ll have his best arms at the ready. More than anything, he wants to see the team get through the first inning and do more at the plate.

“Hopefully, our starting pitcher will give us a chance and keep us in the game after a few innings,” he said. “… So if we can just stay in the game early, then the bullpen does a good job for us, but we have to hit. I mean, we can’t just expect to score three runs and beat these guys in this ballpark.”

Up next: South Carolina will look to avoid being swept by the No. 3 Razorbacks in the series finale on Sunday. First pitch is at 3 p.m. on SEC Network Plus. Dylan Eskew (0-1, 1.77 ERA) will get the start on the mound.

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