No. 1. South Carolina vs. Kentucky, game 2 recap: Gamecocks lose to Wildcats 2-1

Someone put out an APB, because the Gamecocks' offense has seemingly gone missing in Lexington.

UK took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, when Micheal Thomas left the yard, then they tacked on another run in the third. JaVon Shelby singled, Austin Cousino contributed a sac fly, and Max Kuhn knocked an RBI single to make it 2-0.

Both teams were pretty quiet offensively for the majority of the game, but South Carolina finally ended the shutout in the top of the eighth. Joey Pankake got plunked, Kyle Martin singled, Connor Bright advanced them with a sac bunt, and Greiner got Pankake home with an RBI sac fly, cutting the lead to 2-1 and sparking some hope that maybe they could make a comeback.

Instead, the stranded runners struggle continued. USC had a handful of chances to get on the board all day, but they just couldn't capitalize. The most distressing of these chances was perhaps their ninth inning opportunity, with DC Arendas on third and only one out. The attempted rally fell short, though, as a strikeout and groundout ended the game without getting him home and the Wildcats hung on to win.

The Gamecocks were also victimized by a terrible call in the fifth inning, where Tanner English was very clearly safe at second, but was called out. Chad Holbrook argued the call and was promptly ejected. While the questionable umpiring didn't help, it's not the umps' fault that Carolina left a bunch of guys on the bases. Fortunately, the game never got out of hand like it did yesterday, but a loss is still a loss and this is still a problem that needs some correction.

South Carolina starter Jack Wynkoop worked seven innings and allowed two runs, five hits, walked one batter, struck out nine, and had three wild pitches. He took the loss and is now 4-1 on the season. Cody Mincey pitched the final two innings for the Gamecocks.

Chandler Sheperd, the Wildcats' starting pitcher, lasted 7.1 innings and gave up six hits, one run, issued four walks, tallied six K's, had one wild pitch and hit one batter. He earned the win and improves to 5-0 on the season. Logan Salow got the save, his first this year.

Arendas had two hits to lead USC, while Thomas also had two to pace UK.

South Carolina falls to 18-3 (2-3 in the SEC) while Kentucky improves to 17-6 (3-2 in conference play). The Gamecocks will try to avoid being swept when the series concludes tomorrow, with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.