South Carolina fights back to win series versus Mississippi State
Baseball can often be a game of failure. Slumps are bound to happen, even to the best players. That was the case for South Carolina freshman phenom Ethan Petry.
In his first three at-bats on Sunday, Petry had struck out twice and grounded into a double play. It wasn’t the type of production South Carolina fans were used to seeing from him.
But after Mississippi State loaded the bases in the eighth inning, Petry had a chance to right his wrongs and redeem himself. On a hanging 1-0 pitch, he laced a double into the gap, clearing the bases and scoring three runs.
In what could’ve been a day to forget, Petry made the most of his late opportunities and finished 3-for-6 with four RBIs. Once again, he proved to be the hero in what would be an emphatic 14-5 win over the Bulldogs.
The win gives the Gamecocks their first series victory in Starkville since April 2011. It also marks the first time they’ve won three straight SEC series to start the season since 2011
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Before Petry stepped up to the plate, it had been a struggle for the Gamecocks (26-3, 8-1 SEC) to make something happen. After tallying six hits through two innings, they had multiple chances to break the game open but couldn’t do so.
Despite leading 3-1 at one point, the inability to keep scoring came back to haunt them. They left 13 runners stranded on base and struck out 16 times.
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After twirling five brilliant innings, right-hander Jack Mahoney worked into his first trouble of the day. He would leave the game after loading the bases with nobody out. This left incoming reliever Chris Veach in a tough spot.
Veach would make the most of the situation, trading a run for a pair of outs via double play. But he couldn’t preserve the lead, as Dakota Jordan crushed a two-run homer to give Mississippi State the advantage.
South Carolina quickly responded with an RBI single from Cole Messina to tie the game in the seventh. Not long after, Petry came through with his three-run double to take back the lead.
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Any struggles the Gamecocks had up to that point in the game seemed to be irrelevant after taking the lead. In the ninth, they had an opportunity to add to the lead with a bases loaded and no outs situation. And they did in a big way.
Braylen Wimmer, who went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, started the scoring with an RBI single that clanked off the left field wall. From there, South Carolina pounded out three straight hits to jump out to a commanding lead.
But they weren’t finished yet. The Gamecocks batted around and score two more runs to cap off a seven-run frame.
Over the course of the last two innings, the offense had seven hits and scored 10 runs. In total, it finished the game with 17 hits. Every starter had at least one hit and four of them drove in two or more runs.
With a sizable enough lead, James Hicks was able to quiet Mississippi State’s lineup. He pitched 2.2 strong innings and only gave up one run on four hits while striking out four.
Up next: South Carolina will travel back to the Queen City for a Tuesday date with the North Carolina Tar Heels. First pitch is at 7 p.m. from Truist Field.
