South Carolina at Vanderbilt game 1 recap: Gamecocks lose 3-2 in opener against Commodores

The Gamecocks kept it close in the first game of this weekend’s series against Vanderbilt, but they couldn’t do quite enough to get a win in Nashville on Friday night.

The game was scoreless until the fifth inning, when the Commodores took a 2-0 lead courtesy of a CJ Rodriguez RBI double and an RBI single by Enrique Bradfield Jr. South Carolina answered in the top of the sixth to tie the game. With one out, Braylen Wimmer singled, Brady Allen reached on a fielder’s choice, and Josiah Sightler doubled to make it a 2-1 game. Wes Clarke then grounded out to bring Allen home.

The final run of the game came in the seventh inning, when Vandy’s Cooper Davis knocked an RBI single to give them a one-run lead.

Gamecocks starter Thomas Farr had a strong outing, as he pitched six innings and allowed four hits and three runs, walked three batters, and struck out nine. He took the loss and is now 2-1. Jack Mahoney and Andrew Peters also took the mound in this game. Commodores starter Kumar Rocker got the win, making him, 5-0, and Luke Murphy earned the save, his third of the season. Wimmer, Sightler, and David Mendham each had one hit, while Sightler and Clarke tallied one RBI apiece.

With the loss, USC drops to 11-5 overall and 0-1 in the SEC, while Vanderbilt is now 14-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play. The Cocks will try to even up the series on Saturday, with first pitch set for 11 a.m. in Nashville.