***2021 Baseball South Carolina (2-0) vs Dayton (0-2) Game 3 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]​

Sunday February 21, 2021 12:00 PM Founders Park​

GAME 3​

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The University of South Carolina baseball team belted five home runs on the day and the pitching staff combined to allow just three hits as the Gamecocks clinched the season-opening series with a 12-5 win over Dayton Saturday afternoon (Feb. 20) at Founders Park.
 
Wes Clarke had two of the five home runs, going 3-for-4 with five RBI. Braylen Wimmer, Colin Burgess and Brady Allen each had a home run. Wimmer's was a two-run shot in the second while Burgess and Allen had solo blasts.
 
Brannon Jordan started the game on the mound for Carolina. He went four-plus innings, allowing two hits and three earned runs with four walks and four strikeouts. Andrew Peters picked up the win in relief, pitching two hit-less innings with three strikeouts.
 
Wimmer joined David Mendham with two hits on the day, part of an 11-hit attack for the Garnet and Black.
 
Dayton got as close as 6-5 in the fifth and had runners on second and third with two out, but Josiah Sightler got Jay Curtis to strike out to end the threat. Peters, John Gilreath and Will Sanders then went four hit-less innings to preserve the win.

UP NEXT
Carolina and Dayton wrap up opening weekend on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 21) with a noon first pitch at Founders Park.

PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION

Sunday
South Carolina Julian Bosnic (R-So. LHP) 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 6.2 IP, 8 BB, 7 SO
Dayton Cole Pletka (Sr. RHP) 2-2, 5.59 ERA, 19.1 IP, 15 BB, 24 SO

POSTGAME NOTES

• The Gamecocks hit five home runs on the day. The last time Carolina had five home runs in a game was vs. Utah Valley on Feb. 24, 2019. Brady Allen had a home run in both games.
• Wes Clarke is now 6-for-7 with six runs scored, three home runs and nine RBI after two games in 2021.
• Wimmer was a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate, adding a bunt single in his first start of 2021.
• Carolina has now clinched a series win, its 23rd straight series win in an opening weekend.
• Will Sanders made his Carolina debut, pitching a scoreless ninth inning.
• Andrew Peters picked up his first win in a Gamecock uniform.
• Fifteen of Carolina's 26 hits after two games have been extra-base hits (six doubles, two triples, seven home runs).

 

[ConwayGamecock]

Game 3 has been a pitcher's duel today.....it's tied 1-1 in the bottom 8th inning. South Carolina batting  - Colin Burgess walked, and Jeff Heinrich sacrificed bunted Burgess to 2B, 1 out. A new pitcher comes in for the Flyers to face George Callil who is 1-3 with a single today.....

Callil DOUBLES DOWN THE LINE, driving in Burgess! The Gamecocks take the lead 2-1, still only 1 out, and the top of the order comes up to bat!!

 

[ConwayGamecock]

Still 2-1 bottom 8th - the new Dayton pitcher came in, and struck out Brady Allen. Noah Meyers was walked, and there's Gamecocks on 1B and 2B, with 2 outs. Now another call to the Dayton bullpen. Wes Clarke is next up....

Clarke is walked, loading up the bases with 2 outs. David Mendham is up next - he is 1-3 on the day with a single.....

Mendham DOUBLES!! Driving in all baserunners! It's now 5-1 Gamecocks, and the game has blown open. Once again Dayton goes to their bullpen, and Andrew Eyster steps tp the plate with Mendham in scoring position. Eyster is also 1-3 (the Gamecocks came into this inning with 7 hits, 5 of them singles)...

Eyster grounds out for the final out, but good damage was done with 4 runs to break open the tie game. It's 5-1 top of the 9th, and the Gamecock closer Brett Kerry had already taken the mound for the 8th inning.....

 

[ConwayGamecock]

We just had to get to the bullpen.

I get the sac bunt late in a  tie game, but it was (like usual) a wasted out - the next batter doubled, which would have scored the runner from first anyway. 

With the issues we had with our bunting a few years ago, any opportunity to work on bunting is a good opportunity to take, I say LOL....

Kerry gets into a sticky situation, with walking the lead-off Dayton batter and then giving up a single to the next. But he hunkered down to strike out the next three batters to retire the side, and close out the game. Gamecocks sweep Dayton 5-1 in Game 3. Kerry (1-0) gets the win, and the Gamecocks improve to 3-0 on the young season. David Mendham is the player of the day going 2-4 with 4 RBIs - it was his RBI sac. fly in the 3rd inning that allowed the game to be tied 1-1 until the 8th inning heroics. The Gamecocks next face Winthrop this coming Tuesday.....

 

[Homebrewcock]

Good start to the season.