South Carolina vs. No. 15 Auburn game 1 recap: Gamecocks fall to Tigers 4-2

There was a time this season when South Carolina was rolling from win to win, beating teams by a lot of runs or doing it in dramatic walkoff fashion, giving fans entertainment and heart palpitations. Then things took a turn, and the Gamecocks have found themselves on the wrong end of game after game, mired now in a three-game losing streak after falling to No. 15 Auburn on Friday night.

The Tigers got on the board first, taking a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning on RBI singles from Conor Davis, Kason Howell, and Judd Ward. That score held until the bottom of the sixth, when USC ended the shutout after TJ Hopkins reached on an error and Noah Campbell went yard, making it a 3-2 game.

Auburn added an insurance run in the top of the ninth thanks to a Rankin Woley RBI double, and the Gamecocks didn’t make it very interesting at all in the bottom of the inning, so that was that.

South Carolina starter Daniel Lloyd worked five innings and allowed six hits and three runs. He walked two batters and struck eight out. Lloyd took the loss and is now 2-2, but outside of that second inning, he did a really nice job. Unfortch, that second inning did happen. Cole Ganopulos, Cam Tringali, and Wesley Sweatt also pitched in this game. Tigers starter Daniel Burns got the win and is now 4-0, and closer Cody Greenhill got the save, his fifth of the season.

The Gamecocks drop to 16-10 overall and 1-6 in the SEC, while Auburn improves to 21-5 overall and 5-2 in conference play. USC will look to even up the series on Saturday, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. at Founders Park. Reid Morgan will start on the mound.