South Carolina vs. Texas game 2 recap: Gamecocks beat Longhorns 4-2, even series

South Carolina finally got back in the win column with a 4-2 victory over No. 1 Texas in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader, marking the Gamecocks’ first win over the Longhorns in program history.

UT got on the board first, going up 1-0 on a solo shot by Eric Kennedy in the first inning. USC responded by scoring a run of their own in the bottom of the inning. Brandt Belk doubled to lead off, Michael Braswell and Braylen Wimmer both singled, and Andrew Eyster hit into a fielder’s choice that got Belk home to make it a 1-1 game.

The Cocks tacked on a couple of insurance runs in the fourth inning. Wimmer started things off with a single, Eyster reached on a dropped ball, and Josiah Sightler walked to load the bases with no outs. Kevin Madden and Carson Horning both came through with sac flies to bring Wimmer and Eyster in, putting the home team up 3-1.

Each team scored their final run of the game in the fifth. The Longhorns’ came on a bases loaded walk, making the score 3-2, while Carolina got theirs after Belk singled with one out and scored on a two-out base hit by Wimmer.

South Carolina starter Will Sanders had a great outing, pitching six innings and allowing just four hits and two runs. He also walked three batters and struck six out. Sanders got the win and is now 3-0, while Braswell, who pitched one inning, got the save, his third. Texas starter Tristan Stevens took the loss and is now 3-1. Wimmer led the Gamecocks at the plate with three hits, while he, Eyster, Madden, and Hornung each recorded an RBI. Douglas Hodo III led the Longhorns at the plate with two hits, while Kennedy and Silas Ardoin each tallied an RBI.

USC is now 8-6 overall while UT is 13-3. The second game of the doubleheader, which is also now a rubber game, is set to start at 4:30 p.m.