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The Gamecocks continue to click on all cylinders so far this year, which continues to be good to see after the struggle that was the 2015 season.
South Carolina got on the board early against Appalachian State, taking a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Jonah Bride was hit by a pitch to start the inning, Gene Cone followed with a single, DC Arendas walked to load the bases with Gamecocks, and then Marcus Mooney came through with a sac fly that brought home both runs.
They tacked on another run in the next inning, this time courtesy of an RBI single by Bride. After a few quieter innings, South Carolina tacked on the final two runs of the day in the sixth inning. Bride led off with a walk, Cone tallied a base hit, and with one out, Mooney registered another RBI with a single of his own. Clark Scolamiero was up next, and he brought Cone home on an RBI sac fly, making it 5-0.
The Mountaineers made things interesting in the top of the ninth with a pair of two-out singles, but they weren't able to get a runner home, preserving the shutout.
Offensively, Mooney and Cone in particular had really nice games today. After a weekend series highlighted by some of the new guys on the team, it was good to see the veterans contribute more today.
While the offense provided support for starting pitcher Adam Hill, he really didn't need much help. Hill had six strikesouts through three innings and took a perfect game into the fourth. He worked a total of six innings and allowed just two hits, didn't walk any batters, and tallied 11 Ks. Not bad for a freshman making his first start. Josh Reagan and Colton Provey went the rest of the way for the Gamecocks.
With the win, South Carolina improves to 4-0 on the season, while Appalachian State drops to 0-4. The Gamecocks' next game is scheduled for Wednesday at 4 p.m. EST at Founder's Park, where they'll take on Winthrop.