Slumping South Carolina loses to Charlotte in last midweek game of 2023 season

South Carolina baseball came into the final midweek contest of the season losers in six of seven and looking for some much-needed momentum going into the final SEC series with Tennessee that begins Thursday.

They didn’t find it.

Charlotte battered eight USC pitchers for 15 hits in an 11-9 victory at Founders Park in Columbia, sending the No. 13 Gamecocks spiraling into the final three-game set of the season.

South Carolina (37-15, 15-11 SEC) finished the season with an 11-3 record in midweek games, but two of those losses have come in the last week during this season-ending tailspin to North Florida on May 9 and now Charlotte.

The Gamecocks ascended to a No. 3 national ranking in late April but have lost nine of their last 12 games — including seven of their last eight.

“Disappointed in the loss but was very encouraged to start seeing the offense perform like that a little bit,” South Carolina coach Mark Kingston said.

The 49ers (26-25, 14-12 C-USA) swept the season series with South Carolina after beating the Gamecocks 6-2 in Charlotte in March. They’ve also won three in a row against the Gamecocks dating back last season.

The Gamecocks’ RPI fell to No. 5 after their second loss of the season to the 49ers, who started the day with an RPI of 94. South Carolina is looking to lock up an NCAA Tournament regional host site, and this game might hurt those odds this late in the season.

USC’s Talmadge LeCroy hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning to tie things at 7-7, but the 49ers responded by sending nine batters to the plate and scoring four runs on three hits and three walks in the eighth inning. The Gamecocks also unleashed three wild pitches to help the Charlotte cause.

USC closer Chris Veach took the loss. He relieved Nick Proctor with one out in the eighth but allowed four runs on three hits with a walk and two wild pitches.

“We wanted to stop the bleeding,” Kingston said. “We wanted to get a zero that inning because we could feel the momentum of the offense coming. It backfired a little bit.”

Dylan Brewer hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the eighth inning to bring USC within 11-9, but a fluke play ended that threat. Cole Messina was on first when Gavin Casas skied one into short left field. The 49ers fielders lost it in the lights, it fell safely and Messina was thrown out at the plate to end the frame.

“It’s (third base coach Scott Wingo) being aggressive,” Kingston said. “I have to look at the replay to see if it was the right decision or not. It was a player trying to make a play, a coach trying to make a play and it didn’t work.”

South Carolina started Tuesday like a team on a mission. Brewer and Braylen Wimmer each walked on 3-2 pitches before Messina connected on his 16th home run of the season to stake the Gamecocks to a 3-0 lead before the 49ers recorded an out.

LeCroy increased the lead to 4-0 in the first with an RBI single, but the South Carolina offense couldn’t build on that hot start. They watched that early lead evaporate into a 7-5 deficit going into the seventh inning.

Charlotte pitchers only allowed one run and one base hit between the second and sixth inning. While that was happening, the 49ers offense was peppering the South Carolina pitching staff for seven runs and 11 hits in building the two-run lead.

Injury update

Will McGillis made his first start in since going down with an arm injury on March 24. He played left field but seemed to aggravate the injury in his sixth inning at-bat. Kingston said afterward it didn’t feel good, so McGillis had to come out of the game.

USC baseball schedule

Thursday: vs. Tennessee, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)

Friday: vs. Tennessee, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)

Saturday: vs. Tennessee, 2 p.m. (SEC Network)

Next week: SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover, Alabama