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The Gamecocks’ offense was passable in the first half of Sunday’s rubber game against Kentucky, but it dried up and the pitching struggled, leading to another series loss.
South Carolina was first on the board, taking a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a Ross Grosvenor home run. Unfortunately, that lead didn’t last long, as the Wildcats ended the shutout with an RBI single in the third inning, then took the lead on a two-run homer.
Kentucky tacked on another run in the fourth inning on an RBI single, but the Gamecocks tied things up in the fifth. Madison Stokes led off with a double, then came home when John Jones hit a bomb to make it 4-3. LT Tolbert followed with a single, the Carlos Cortes smacked an RBI double to get Tolbert in.
The game remained tied until the eighth inning, when the Wildcats regained the lead for good thanks to a pair of RBI singles. A two-run homer in the top of the ninth added a little more insurance they didn’t really need.
Starter John Parke had a good first couple of innings, but things kind of went downhill after that. He worked 3 1⁄3 innings and allowed five hits and four runs. Josh Reagan, Tyler Johnson, and Colie Bowers also pitched in this game, and the only one who really had a good outing was Reagan.
With the loss, South Carolina drops to 25-17 overall and 10-11 in the SEC, while Kentucky is now 31-14 overall and 14-7 in conference play. The Gamecocks will be back in action on Wednesday, when they host Wofford. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Founders Park.