GAMECOCKS TAKE SERIES WITH 5-3 WIN OVER MISSISSIPPI STATE
Columbia, S.C. – Ninth
ranked South Carolina raced out to a 5-0 lead with all five runs coming
with two outs and freshman left-hander Jordan Montgomery allowed just
one run in 6.1 innings of work as the Gamecocks held on to defeat
Mississippi State 5-3 on Saturday afternoon in front of a sellout crowd
of 8,242 fans at Carolina Stadium. Junior right-hander Matt Price
hurled two scoreless innings of relief for his third save. The
Gamecocks win a third consecutive series and are 26-10 and 7-7 in the
SEC while the loss drops Mississippi State to 21-14 and 5-9 in league
play. Sunday’s series finale is set for 1:30 p.m. Live
video broadcast is available at GamecocksOnline.com with the game also
on the Gamecock Radio Network from IMG College including flagship
station 107.5 FM, “The Game.”
Montgomery is now 3-0 on the year
after earning the win. He allowed one run on five hits while
walking two batters and striking out four. Mississippi State
starter Kendall Graveman suffered the loss and is 2-2 for the
season. He allowed five runs on eight hits in 8.2 innings with
two walks and seven strikeouts. Price allowed just two hits in
his stint and struck out two batters for his second save of the series.
Four
consecutive batters reached base with two outs in the bottom of the
third inning as the Gamecocks built a 2-0 lead against the
Bulldogs. Joey Pankake singled to left field followed by a base
hit up the middle from Evan Marzilli. After Christian Walker
loaded the bases with a four-pitch walk, LB Dantzler came through with
a two-out RBI single up the middle scoring both Pankake and
Marzilli. That lead increased to 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth
inning. Tanner English reached base to lead off the frame with a
single up the middle. He would score on Walker’s two-out RBI base
hit into the gap in left-center.
South Carolina added two more
runs to make it 5-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning. Sean
Sullivan drew a one-out walk and scored on a triple by Tanner
English. With a 1-0 count, English drilled a deep fly that MSU
center fielder C.T. Bradford could not come up with. Joey Pankake
followed with a RBI infield single as he beat out a throw by Bulldog
third baseman Darryl Norris.
Mississippi State didn’t waver
though coming up with three runs in the top of the seventh
inning. Trey Porter connected with a one-out solo home run that
ended the afternoon for Montgomery. Tyler Fullerton singled off
of Gamecock reliever Tyler Webb with Sam Frost adding a double.
Adam Frazier would knock in Fullerton with a sacrifice fly to left
field. Frost then scored Mississippi State’s third run on a pair
of wild pitches issued by Gamecock reliever Evan Beal. With a
runner on first, junior left-hander Nolan Belcher ended MSU’s threat
with a groundout.
Both teams had nine hits for the
afternoon. English went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a
RBI. Pankake and Dantzler added two hits apiece. Frazier,
Wes Rea and Porter all tallied two hits to lead Mississippi State.
South
Carolina sends junior RHP Colby Holmes (4-0, 2.56 ERA) to the hill on
Sunday afternoon with Mississippi State’s starting pitcher to be
announced.
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