***2021 Baseball South Carolina (1-0) vs Dayton (0-1) Game 2 Thread***

[ConwayGamecock]

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[COLOR= rgb(153, 0, 0)]2021 South Carolina Gamecocks Baseball Official Game Thread[/COLOR]​

 

[COLOR= rgb(153, 0, 0)] South Carolina [/COLOR]vs[COLOR= rgb(153, 0, 0)] [/COLOR]Dayton [SIZE= 28px] [/SIZE]​

Saturday February 20, 2021 1:00 PM Founders Park​

GAME 2​

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The trio of Brady Allen, Wes Clarke and Andrew Eyster combined to go 9-for-10 with eight RBI and Thomas Farr struck out eight in a six-inning start as the University of South Carolina baseball team opened 2021 with a 12-1 win over Dayton Friday night (Feb. 19) at Founders Park.
 
Allen, Clarke and Eyster each had three hits on the night. Allen was a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs scored, Clarke went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, four RBI and a three-run home run in the first while Eyster was 3-for-4 with four RBI, all on a grand slam in the third.
 
Clarke homered with Allen and Brennan Milone on base in the first. The round tripper went to straightaway center field. Eyster's grand slam in the third landed in the Carolina bullpen in right field.
 
Colin Burgess added three RBI on a 2-for-4 night. The Gamecocks had 15 hits for the day, including five doubles, two triples and a pair of home runs.
 
Farr allowed five hits and a run in six innings, walking a pair and striking out eight to pick up his fourth career win at Carolina.

UP NEXT
Carolina and Dayton continue the three-game series Saturday afternoon (Feb. 20) at 1 p.m. at Founders Park.

PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION

Saturday
South Carolina Brannon Jordan (Sr. RHP) 2-0, 1.71 ERA, 21.0 IP, 9 BB, 32 SO
Dayton Ben Olson (Gr. LHP) 1-1, 4.15 ERA, 17.1 IP, 9 BB, 22 SO
 

POSTGAME NOTES

• The Gamecocks played their first game in 346 days today vs. Dayton. The last time of the 2020 season was March 10 in a 10-1 win over The Citadel.
• Andrew Eyster's grand slam was the first by a Gamecock since Wes Clarke did the trick vs. Northwestern on Feb. 22, 2020.
• Farr was followed by a trio of freshman pitchers, Magdiel Cotto, Jackson Phipps and Jack Mahoney. Each pitched a scoreless inning, allowing a combined one hit.
• Carolina improves to 88-41 in season openers and has won two straight lidlifters.
• Eight Gamecocks had a hit in the win.
• David Mendham made his first career start at Carolina, hitting fourth and playing first base.
• This was the first meeting on the diamond between Carolina and Dayton.
• The last time the Gamecocks had two triples in a game was April 23, 2019 when the Gamecocks had three triples, two by Brady Allen.

 

[FurmanCock]

Conway, thanks for the write-up.  Especially for those of us without access to SEC+.  I would really like to see a bright spot for SC athletics in something this school year.

 

[ConwayGamecock]

The Gamecocks looked to have this game well under control: through 4 innings, they jumped on Dayton taking a 6-1 lead off of a solo home run from Wes Clarke in the 1st, a 2-RBI homer from Braylen Wimmer in the 2nd, a RBI single from Clarke again in the 3rd, and a Colin Burgess solo dinger as well as a fly out RBI by Brady Allen in the 4th.

But the Flyers stormed back in the top of the 5th, as Gamecock starter Brennan Jordan was shaky in his start today. In the 5th, he walked the first Dayton batter, then hit the next, and after the review confirmed the HBP, the next Flyer batsman hit a 3-RBI home run. This brought in Josiah Sightler to relieve Jordan, and HE gets the first two outs on a strikeout and line out around a walk, then  allows a single and then a HBP to load the bases up, then a wild pitch drives in one run before retiring the side on a final strikeout.....

The Gamecocks lead 6-5 into the 6th inning......

 

[ConwayGamecock]

Leading 8-5 in the bottom 8th, the Gamecocks get those 4 runs back: a one-out double by George Callil and a walk to Brady Allen brings in a new Dayton pitcher out of the bullpen. Brennan Milone is up next and he has been struggling thus far at the plate. Milone singles scoring Callil. Then Wes Clarke, who has NOT been struggling, hits his 2nd homerun of the game and 3rd in two games thus far, a 3-RBI shot that makes it 12-5, heading to the top of the 9th.....

 

[ConwayGamecock]

Gamecocks win the 2nd game and the series against Dayton 12-5. Wes Clarke was the offensive player of the game today, going 3-5 with 2 homeruns, 5 RBIs, and 3 runs. Brady Allen was 1-2 with a home run, 2 RBI, and 3 runs, and Braylen Wimmer was 2-2 with a solo dinger, 2 RBI and 2 runs. Colin Burgess also got in on the home run derby with a solo smash of his own, as the chicks were loving the long ball today: the Gamecocks hit 1 double, 0 triples, but sent 5 balls out of the ballpark, and overall had 11 hits in the game.

The starter Brannon Jordan scuffled today going only 4.0 innings with 4 strikeouts, 2 hits allowed, but 4 walks, a wild pitch, and a HBP to allow 4 runs, 3 earned. Reliever Andrew Peters picks up the Win (1-0) going 2.0 innings of perfect pitching relief, with 3 strikeouts.....

 

[USCMM]

I haven't paid too much attention since we fired Holbrook. But I decided I would put the game up on the TV and was shocked by our performance! With the exception of one inning, that was some fantastic ball play. If this weekend is indicative of anything, I hope it means that we'll have a lethal offense this season. I guess time will tell. Dayton is usually a good baseball school so I have to feel like we are playing good competition.