***2021 Baseball South Carolina (7-0) vs Mercer (3-4) Game 1 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]Mercer 

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Friday March 5, 2021 4:00 PM Founders Park​

GAME 1​

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COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The University of South Carolina baseball team hosts Mercer in a three-game series this weekend at Founders Park. The series opens Friday afternoon (March 5) at 4 p.m. Saturday's game is also at 4 p.m. with Sunday's game beginning at noon. Friday and Saturday's games will be streamed on SEC Network Plus while Sunday's game is televised on SEC Network with Mike Morgan and Todd Walker on the call. Every Gamecock baseball game will be broadcast on the Gamecock Radio Network. Carolina scored 16 runs in the first four innings of play as the Gamecocks cruised to a 19-8 win over the Eagles on Tuesday night (March 2).
 
PARKING INFORMATION
For the 2021 season, there will not be shuttles from either the Key Road Gravel Lot or the Colonial Life Arena parking lot. There will be passes at lot 1 available for $10 apiece.
 
Parking Lot Openings
4 p.m. Games - Gates open at 3 p.m., all lots open at 2:30 p.m.
Noon Games - Gates open at 11 a.m., all lots open at 10:30 a.m. 

PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Friday
South Carolina Thomas Farr (R-Jr. RHP) 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 12.0 IP, 3 BB, 15 SO
Mercer Tommy Green (Jr. RHP) 0-1, 10.80 ERA, 3.1 IP, 1 BB, 4 SO
Saturday
South Carolina Brannon Jordan (Sr. RHP) 0-0, 5.62 ERA, 8.0 IP, 8 BB, 12 SO
Mercer Taylor Lobus (R-Sr. RHP) 1-1, 5.56 ERA, 11.1 IP, 2 BB, 13 SO
Sunday
South Carolina Julian Bosnic (R-So. LHP) 0-0, 2.08 ERA, 4.1 IP, 4 BB, 12 SO
Mercer Jackson Kelley (So. RHP) 1-1, 5.19 ERA, 8.2 IP, 2 BB, 10 SO
 
SCOUTING MERCER
The Bears were swept by Southern Illinois in Macon this past weekend. RJ Yeager had a pair of hits in the series finale, a 5-2 loss to the Salukis. Trevor Austin leads Mercer with a .429 batting average while Ryan Archibald has three home runs and five RBI. On the mound, Garett Delano has not allowed a run in 7.2 innings of relief, striking out nine batters.
 
SERIES VS. MERCER
Carolina leads the all-time series with Mercer, 28-8, and has win 16 straight games against the Bears, dating back to 1980. The teams have not met on the diamond since April 11, 1989, when Carolina swept a pair of seven-inning games, winning 3-1 and 1-0.
  
RUNS APLENTY VS. WINTHROP
Carolina scored its most runs in a game since June 5, 2016, in a 19-8 win over Winthrop on Tuesday, March 2. The Gamecocks scored 16 runs in the first four innings of play, helped by five RBI from Joe Satterfield and home runs from Brady Allen and Andrew Eyster. Carolina scored 23 runs in the 2016 Columbia Regional in a win over Rhode Island.
 
https://gamecocksonline.com/news/2021/3/4/baseball-welcomes-mercer-to-founders-park-for-weekend-set.aspx

 

[ConwayGamecock]

https://twitter.com/GamecockBasebll/status/1367920350462316544

 

[ConwayGamecock]

0-0 Tie Game, top of 3rd inning:

A pitcher's duel thus far. Thomas Farr takes the mound - after a fly out for the 1st out, he gives up a single to the next Bear batter. That ties up the game with 2 hits apiece for each team, although Brennan Milone has the lone extra-base hit for either team, a double.

Farr walks the next batter, and there's men on 2B and 1B with 1 out.....

Thomas gets the fly out and then the ground out to end the Mercer threat.

0-0 tie game, bottom 3rd.......

 

[ConwayGamecock]

0-0 Tie Game, top 4th:

Right now Mercer's 6.00+ ERA starting pitcher has gotten the best of our red hot hitters, while Farr has given up 2 more singles before retiring the side. Mercer has out-hit us 4-2, but still all singles, and still no runs scored either way. Lets get those bats heated up guys!

0-0 Tie Game, bottom 4th.......

 

[ConwayGamecock]

0-0 Tie Game, bottom 4th inning:

Andrew Eyster strikes out, then David Mendham is walked. We still haven't touched this Mercer pitcher.

Colin Burgess grounds out for the 2nd out. Mendham advances to 2B.

Braylen Wimmer HOMERS!! THERE'S The Gamecock gorilla ball we all know and love!!

Milone strikes out to end the inning, but we finally draw blood! Hopefully that'll get the offense cranking up....

2-0 South Carolina, top 5th.........

 

[ConwayGamecock]

2-0 Gamecocks, top 5th inning:

Thomas Farr is not having his best outing. A lead-off walk, a wild pitch that advances the base-runner to 2B, and then a double scores the run for Mercer. He works in a strikeout, ground out, and fly out to retire the side, but Mercer edges closer.

2-1 Gamecocks, bottom 5th.....

 

[ConwayGamecock]

2-1 Gamecocks, bottom 5th inning:

George Callil strikes out, and Brady Allen flies out for the first two outs of the inning. Josiah Sightler is hit by a pitch, and Wes Clarke is walked.

A new pitcher for the Bears comes in....

Andrew Eyster is up next. He singles scoring Sightler!

Now another pitcher comes in out of the bullpen....

Mendham is walked, loading the bases. There's still 2 outs. Burgess is hit by a pitch, driving in a run! Bases still loaded.

Wimmer flies out to end the muscial chairs, but not before 2 more Gamecock runs are scored.

4-1 South Carolina, top 6th inning......

 

[ConwayGamecock]

4-1 South Carolina, bottom 7th inning:

Gamecocks have something going here: Clarke is walked, and Eyster doubles down the left field line, and there are Gamecocks on 3B and 2B, with 0 outs.

Mendham flies out to center, and it's a sac fly out scoring Clarke, 1 out.

A new Mercer pitcher comes in for relief....

Burgess is walked, but then Wimmer and Milone strike out to end the inning.

5-1 Gamecocks, top 8th........

 

[ConwayGamecock]

5-1 Gamecocks, top 9th inning:

Jack Mahoney in for Andrew Peters.

Ground out.

Ground out.

Strike out!

The Gamecocks improve to 8-0 on the season and take Game 1 of the series against the Mercer Bears, 5-1. The Bears fall to 3-5.

Thomas Farr (2-0) gets the win - he pitched 6.1 innings of 6 hit baseball giving up one run (earned), with 5 Ks and 3 walks. Braylen Wimmer went 1-4 with a 2 RBI home run, and Andrew Eyster went 2-4 with a double and a RBI. Overall, the hot-hitting Gamecocks' bats cooled off tonight, as the team was held to just 6 hits on 29 at-bats (.207). Maybe they're saving the hits for the next two games.....

 

[kingofnerf]

I may be getting slow in my old age, but I just didn't see that balk that was called on Peters on his second batter.

Mercer has some athletic players this year.

 

[FurmanCock]

The final score surprised me a bit.  I was watching the Ladies game last night, and sometime in the second half ESPN had the score listed on the crawler at the bottom, and I swore it said SC 4-3 in either the 8th or 9th inning.  

Which is why I get my Gamecock news here on the forum!