Despite not having a ton of offensive output, South Carolina shut down the Rebels on Thursday night to up their winning streak to 11 games.
The Gamecocks were first on the board, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning. After back-to-back walks for Gene Cone and LT Tolbert, Alex Destino knocked a one-out single to bring in South Carolina's first run of the night. With two outs, Jonah Bride tallied an RBI single of his own.
The third run of the night came in the next inning, when Cone went yard for the first time this year.
Ole Miss ended the shutout in the third inning, thanks to a one-out single by JB Woodman that made the score 3-1.
The Gamecocks tacked on another run in the fifth inning. Tolbert and John Jones knocked back-to-back base hits to lead things off, then with one out, Dom Thompson-Williams came through with a single of his own to get Tolbert home. They had a chance to add some more insurance runs in the eighth inning, but instead left the bases loaded.
The final run of the night was scored in the ninth inning, when Bride doubled with one out, then Cullen followed with a double of his own.
Cone had a great game tonight, going three for five and walking once. He also did a nice job in the field. He's been really solid overall in the leadoff position recently, and with power guys like Jones, Destino, and DTW behind him, his table-setting has been extra important and appreciated.
Starter Clarke Schmidt dominated yet again tonight. He worked 6.2 innings and allowed nine hits but just one run, didn't walk any batters, and tallied eight strikeouts. He earned the win and is now 6-0. Tyler Johnson and Josh Reagan also took the mound for South Carolina tonight, and Reagan got the save, his seventh of the season.
With the victory, the Gamecocks improve to 21-2 overall and 4-0 in conference play, while Ole Miss drops to 20-3 overall and 2-2 in the SEC. They'll meet again tomorrow, with first pitch scheduled for 7:30 EDT. Braden Webb will start on the mound for South Carolina, while Chad Smith will get the nod for the Rebels.