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This midweek contest was not particularly exciting if you like high-scoring games, but the Gamecocks capitalized on their opportunities in the fifth inning to shut out the Buccaneers in Columbia.
Both teams were relatively quiet in the first few innings, racking up only a few hits each. That changed in the fifth inning, when South Carolina put up the only runs of the game.
LT Tolbert led off with a single and Madison Stokes followed with a base hit to put runners on the corners. Hunter Taylor’s sac fly got South Carolina on the board, and after Matt Williams took a two-out walk, Alex Destino knocked a single to put the Gamecocks up 2-0. Jonah Bride worked a walk to load the bases, and the final run of the inning - and of the game - came when Jacob Olson also got walked, forcing the third run home.
Charleston Southern threatened to make things interesting in the eighth inning, but they weren’t able to muster any runs.
South Carolina starter Graham Lawson worked five innings and allowed just two hits. He also tallied a couple of strikeouts and earned the win, his second of the season. John Parke, Reed Scott, and Colie Bowers combined to go the rest of the way for the Gamecocks.
With the win, South Carolina improves to 15-5 overall, while CSU drops to 11-7. The Gamecocks will be back in action on Friday, when they open up a weekend series against Alabama. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. at Founders Park.