South Carolina sets record for single-season SEC losses in Senior Day defeat to No. 1 LSU

As far as its postseason goes, South Carolina didn’t have much to play for on Friday. With their dramatic series-opening win against LSU the day before combined with Missouri’s loss to Mississippi State, the Gamecocks locked up the No. 15 seed in the SEC Tournament.

Despite this, South Carolina had other sources of motivation. Saturday’s matchup against the Tigers presented an opportunity to earn a series win over the No. 1 team in the country. Another win would’ve been the perfect way to cap off a special day for the Gamecock players recognized pre-game as part of the team’s Senior Day festivities.

That party would quickly end when LSU tacked on three runs in the top of the third inning. The Tigers would not relinquish its lead for the rest of the contest, which ended with a 8-1 score.

With the loss, South Carolina set a program record in the process. The Gamecocks’ 23rd defeat to a conference opponent marked the most such losses they suffered in a single season, breaking the previous record of 22 in 2019.

“It was pretty much a one-sided game tonight,” Paul Mainieri said. “We had a couple opportunities, didn’t cash in. And then, they hit three home runs that accounted for much of their scoring. So, it was pretty much the story of the game.”

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LSU (41-13, 18-11 SEC) emerged as the more dangerous team on offense early in the game, moving a baserunner into scoring position in each of the first two frames. In the first, the Tigers had runners on first and second with one out. They ultimately did not do any damage after an interference call – on Daniel Dickinson for being hit with a batted ball while running – and a flyout eliminated the threat.

In the second, Josh Pearson led off the frame by reaching base via a hit by pitch. He eventually made his way to third base with two outs, but a groundout by Derek Curiel ended the inning.

Then, the Tigers reaped the rewards of their near-scoring opportunities one inning later. Jared Jones, on a 2-1 offering from McCoy, launched a deep shot to right field to give LSU the lead. After Dickinson drew a four-pitch walk, Frey followed suit with a two-run shot in the same direction.

South Carolina (28-27, 6-23 SEC) provided an immediate response in the bottom of the frame. KJ Scobey roped a double that bounced off the wall in left-center field to kickstart the inning. He made his way home during the subsequent at bat, which resulted in an RBI single by Gavin Braland. The Gamecocks got another runner, Blake Jackson, aboard before the Tigers recorded an out.

LSU then proceeded to get all the outs it needed in South Carolina’s next three plate appearances.

And it also built on its advantage shortly afterward. The Tigers quickly loaded the bases before scoring one run each on a sacrifice fly by Luis Hernandez and a sacrifice bunt by Pearson.

Getting runners on base was the name of the game for LSU, as it took advantage of Jake McCoy‘s lack of control. McCoy allowed six hits and walked five batters, while striking out just one, during five innings of action.

“He’s a young kid with a good arm, and sometimes, it’s just hard for him to corral it,” Mainieri said. “So, he’s just got to grow and get better as he goes on. He’s got talent; he’s got the arm. He’s a good athlete, and he’s just got to learn to corral it a little bit more. Hopefully, that comes with maturity and experience.”

While the Gamecocks threatened to score on multiple occasions, Kade Anderson, the Tigers’ starting pitching counterpart, played a major role in limiting the home team’s offense. Anderson finished the contest with eight strikeouts and allowed four hits and one run across 6.2 innings pitched.

“He’s really good… and you just look at what he’s done this year for their team. He’s been one of the top pitchers in the conference – and therefore, in the country – and he’s a for-sure first round pick,” Mainieri said. “He threw 94, had two good breaking balls. And he just doesn’t walk anybody, makes you hit the ball.”

South Carolina’s bats looked their most dangerous during the closing stages of the game, as multiple Gamecock baserunners came aboard during the sixth and seventh innings. The home squad came close to adding another run to the scoreboard in the eighth inning, when it had two runners on and no outs. LSU escaped the inning unscathed after forcing Jase Woita to ground into a double play and Evan Stone to fly out to left field.

The Tigers, meanwhile, got more offensive support in the contest’s later innings. Jared Jones launched his second home run of the game to add two runs to LSU’s advantage in the seventh, and a sacrifice bunt by Michael Braswell further increased the Tigers’ lead by one.

Up next

South Carolina will look to clinch the series in a rubber match against LSU at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The contest will be made available for streaming on SEC Network+.

“We got a tough challenge tomorrow,” Mainieri said. “But if, somehow, we can pull it off, it would be wonderful. To win a series against the No. 1 team in the country, it would assure us of an above-.500 season. I know those seem like small accomplishments, but we’re going to come out tomorrow and give it our all.”

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