South Carolina can’t rally late, drops series to Ole Miss
South Carolina baseball’s struggling offense got going just a little too late, and the Gamecock pitchers fell victim to the long ball Saturday, as USC fell 7-3 to Ole Miss in the first game of a doubleheader.
The defeat sent No. 13 South Carolina to its second consecutive series loss after dropping last weekend to No. 1 Arkansas.
After recording just two hits in Friday’s series opener against top MLB Draft prospect Gunnar Hoglund, the Gamecocks had a little more success against Ole Miss starter Doug Nikhazy, benefiting especially from the return of catcher Colin Burgess, who missed the past two games while dealing with an undisclosed injury. Burgess went 3-for-4 to boost his average in SEC play above .300.
But every time USC and Burgess showed signs of life in the early going, the Rebels responded with runs of their own.
In the second inning, Burgess poked a solo home run to left field to put the Gamecocks briefly ahead, but in the bottom half of the frame, Ole Miss junior Justin Bench tied things up with a long ball of his own, also to left. South Carolina starter Brannon Jordan then ran into trouble with two outs, surrendering a single and three walks to plate another run.
Burgess had his second hit in the fifth, a little bloop single into center field. But he was stranded and Ole Miss responded by extending their lead in the bottom of the inning off a two-out, two-run home run from sophomore catcher Hayden Dunhurst.
In the sixth inning, junior outfielder Josiah Sightler became the first player other than Burgess to collect a hit for USC, but like Burgess, he was left on base. And once more, Ole Miss came up in the bottom half of the inning and extended their lead, getting a double and single to put runners on the corners followed by a sacrifice fly. Freshman Jacob Gonzalez followed with another two-run home run to make it 7-1.
After allowing Nikhazy to motor through the first six innings on just 69 pitches, the Gamecocks showed fight in the seventh, fouling off pitches and extending at-bats. And that translated to runs, as Burgess and sophomore second baseman Braylen Wimmer both singled, then scored off a double from senior shortstop George Callil.
But in the end, it wasn’t enough to spoil a quality outing for Nikhazy or get too close, as the Rebels bullpen came in and retired six of the last seven batters to secure the victory in the day game. The nightcap will start at 7 p.m.
NEXT USC BASEBALL GAME
Who: No. 13 South Carolina vs. No. 19 Ole Miss
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Swayze Field, Oxford, Mississippi
Watch: SEC Network
