South Carolina blown out in run-rule loss to Arkansas in series opener

Paul Mainieri walked out of the dugout at Baum-Walker Stadium looking dejected after what he had just seen. In between his many wins over the years, there have been some tough, heartbreaking losses. But he can’t remember a game like the one South Carolina played on Friday.

The Gamecocks were embarrassed in a 12-2 loss to No. 3 Arkansas that ended in run-rule fashion on a three-run walk-off home run by Razorbacks shortstop Wehiwa Aloy in the seventh inning.

South Carolina (17-6, 1-3 SEC) is now 1-6 against top-10 teams this season.

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve ever coached a game where got run-ruled, to be honest with you,” Mainieri told GamecockCentral. “… I’m sure I coached some games where we lost by 10 runs or so, but I can’t remember them very well to be honest with you.”

This is the Gamecocks’ first run-rule loss to an SEC team since March 31, 2023, when they were beaten 13-3 in seven innings by Mississippi State. And on Friday, they dug themselves into an early hole and could never climb out of it.

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Making his second start of the year, Brandon Stone got himself out of a jam with runners on the corners and one out in the first. This was a step in the right direction after going through a rocky first frame against Oklahoma last Friday. Unlike last time though, his outing only got worse.

After giving up a two-out RBI single in the second, Stone struggled mightily with his command in the following inning. The right-hander walked three batters, two of which came with the bases loaded for a pair of runs.

Stone’s night came to an end after three innings of work. He was charged with three runs while five scored in his time on the mound. He struck out three and walked three over 76 pitches.

“He was trying to make perfect pitches, but he ended up walking three or so,” Mainieri said. “But hey, listen, the kid competed his heart out. I think he did the best he could. He fought hard. He wasn’t missing by much some of those pitches, and it just didn’t work out for him.”

The two unearned runs on Stone’s final line came on a fielding error by Henry Kaczmar, who let a routine ground ball go through his legs and into the outfield.

It was a rough game in general for the junior shortstop as he was also picked off in the third after an infield single. When the Gamecocks took the field in the fourth, Kaczmar had been replaced by Will Tippett.

“Getting picked off when your best hitter is at the plate and you’re losing and nothing’s on is kind of a mistake that you just can’t make in a game like this. It was a hard play because it hit the grass and stayed down, but it’s a play that you got to make,” Mainieri said.

“I could just see that the kid was really down on himself when he came off the field. He was hanging his head, and I just thought it was time to take him out of the game.”

It was a quiet night for South Carolina’s offense, scoring two runs off Arkansas left-hander Zach Root. Three of the team’s seven hits went for extra bases but didn’t result in much run-scoring. The Gamecocks only walked once as Root pitched a complete game thanks to the run rule.

Meanwhile, Arkansas crushed the ball for most of the game with 15 hits, six of which went for extra bases. All but one starter produced a hit, with five recording multi-hit games.

All be told, a major gut punch to begin a seven-game stretch against top-25 opponents.

“It’s not very fun to get beat,” Mainieri said. “… But hey, listen, fortunately, it only counts as one game, and tomorrow’s a new day. It’ll be 0-0. We got Jake McCoy going for us, and hopefully, we’ll do a lot better.”

Up next: South Carolina will look to avoid dropping the series in game two on Saturday. First pitch is at 3 p.m. on SEC Network Plus. Jake McCoy (2-1, 5.25 ERA) will make the start on the mound.

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