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Do you like dingers? If so, South Carolina may be the team for you, as the Gamecocks recoded another multi-homer game on Wednesday.
South Carolina got on the board first, taking a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Jonah Bride and Chris Cullen walked to put two runners on with no outs, then LT Tolbert singled with one out to bring the first run of the game in. Justin Row followed with an RBI base hit of his own to make it 2-0.
The Gamecocks broke things open in the next inning, putting up six more runs. TJ Hopkins led off with a single, Cullen walked again with two outs, and Jacob Olson got hit by a pitch to load the bases. Tolbert followed with a two-run single, making the score 4-0. After Justin Row singled as well, Hunter Taylor belted a grand slam to put the home team up 8-0.
Winthrop ended the shutout in the top of the fourth inning, scoring their first run with the help of a South Carolina error and their second on an RBI groundout to make the score 8-2.
The Gamecocks added another run in the fifth inning. Olson walked to lead off, then came home on an RBI double from Row that put South Carolina up 9-2. The scoring continued in the sixth inning, as the Gamecocks tallied three more runs. Hopkins singled to start the inning, Carlos Cortes walked, and Cullen came through with a one-out RBI single. After Tolbert got plunked with two outs, Danny Blair knocked an RBI single to load the bases, and Taylor was walked to force home a run and make the score 12-2.
Another South Carolina run came in the seventh inning, after Kyle Jacobsen hit a leadoff triple for his first hit as a Gamecock and came home on a sacrifice by Cortes, bumping the score to 13-2. The final two runs of the game came in the eighth inning, when Olson was hit by a pitch to start the inning and Tolbert followed with a two-run homer.
Starter Logan Chapman struggled a bit at times, but given this was his first start, it wasn’t too bad overall. He worked into the fourth inning and gave up three hits and two runs. He walked two batters and struck out four. Chapman also earned the win, his first, and is now 1-0. Gage Hinson, Graham Lawson, TJ Shook, Parker Coyne, and Hunter Lomas combined to go the rest of the way and keep the Eagles scoreless. Shook was particularly impressive, coming in with the bases loaded and no outs in the seventh and escaping without any damage.
South Carolina improves to 4-1 on the season, while Winthrop drops to 0-5. The Gamecocks will return to action on Friday, when they start a series against Charleston Southern. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Founder’s Park.