South Carolina vs. Gardner-Webb game recap: Gamecocks beat Bulldogs 9-4

South Carolina’s offensive power was on display again on Tuesday night, as the Gamecocks racked up their sixth consecutive win with a victory over Gardner-Webb.

USC got on the board first, taking a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Brady Allen and Braylen Wimmer knocked back-to-back base hits to start things off, then Josiah Sightler doubled to bring Allen home and make it 1-0 and Wes Clarke followed with a homer that bumped the score to 4-0.

The Cocks added another run in the third inning after Jeff Heinrich singled and later scored on an RBI sac fly from Allen, putting them up 5-0. The Bulldogs ended the shutout in the next inning, making the score 5-1 courtesy of a Patrick Ferguson RBI double. Carolina answered in the bottom of the inning, as Clarke walked and later came home on a David Mendham RBI sac fly, making it a 6-1 game. The Gamecocks scored again in the next inning on a one-out solo shot from George Callil, putting the home team up 7-1. Gardner-Webb got the run back in the sixth though, this time on an RBI single from Ferguson that made the score 7-2.

The final two runs of the game for USC came in the seventh inning, when Brandon Fields reached first on a throwing error with one out, then Allen went yard to bump the score to 9-2. The Bulldogs split their final two runs over the eighth and ninth innings, scoring on a Keiji Parkhurst homer and a fielder’s choice.

Jack Mahoney started for the Cocks and pitched four innings, giving up five hits but just one run, walking zero batters and striking six out. He got the win and is now 1-0. Jackson Phipps, Parker Coyne, John Gilreath, CJ Weins, and Daniel Lloyd also took the mound in this game. Gardner-Webb starter Noah Davis took the loss and drops to 0-1. Allen, Wimmer, Sightler, Andrew Eyster, and Mendham each tallied two hits in this game, while Allen and Clarke notched three RBI each.

South Carolina improves to 17-6, while the Bulldogs are now 7-10. The Gamecocks will play next on Friday, when they open up a series on the road against Georgia. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Athens.