Gamecock Bats Wear Down Tigers, Sets up Rubber Match Sunday

Will Holland tagging a South Carolina base runner (Photo: Auburn Athletics/Wade Rackley)

In game two of the series between two division leaders in the Southeastern Conference, the South Carolina Gamecocks used solid pitching and a huge inning at the plate to move past Auburn, 7-0, on Saturday at Plainsman Park. The game began as a pitching duel between South Carolina’s Clarke Schmidt and Auburn’s Davis Daniel, with each pitcher facing no more than four batters in an inning until the fifth. The Gamecocks struck first by scoring two runs on three straight hits to lead off the fifth inning. Jacob Olson led off the inning with a single and would come around to score one at-bat later on a Carlos Cortes triple off the right field wall. LT Tolbert followed suit by scoring Cortes from third on a single. After allowing two baserunners in the sixth inning, Davis Daniel was replaced by Corey Herndon on the mound. With two down, Herndon walked Olson to load the bases for Cortes, who delivered again for the Gamecocks in the second consecutive inning. The freshman nailed a 1-0 pitch into the visiting bullpen to clear the bases, and move his team ahead 6-0. Olson would cap South Carolina’s scoring in the eighth inning, when he advanced home on a wild pitch by Gabe Klobosits, extending the lead to 7-0. Colie Bowers replaced Clarke Schmidt in the ninth inning to close the game for South Carolina. Bowers tossed a perfect inning to compliment Schmidt’s eight-inning, 10 strikeout performance where he allowed five hits and three walks. The loss goes to Davis Daniel, who went 5.1 innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs while striking out four. Daniel had a no-hitter entering the fifth inning. He is now 2-1 on the season. Auburn recorded five hits from five batters, with the biggest hit coming off the bat of Will Holland in the eighth inning, a ground-rule double that moved Bowen McGuffin to third, which was Auburn’s biggest scoring threat. Auburn is now 22-7, 6-2 in SEC play. The rubber match of this three-game series between top-20 teams is scheduled for 1 P.M. Sunday at Plainsman Park. Auburn has not officially announced tomorrow’s starter; right-hander Adam Hill is projected to start for South Carolina.