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South Carolina scored early and often on Tuesday night, shutting out Gardner-Webb 12-0 in seven innings before the game ended due to the run rule.
The Gamecocks took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a leadoff homer by Brandt Belk, and then they made it 2-0 in the second on a leadoff home run from Kevin Madden. USC tacked on another run in the inning when Josiah Sightler got hit by a pitch, advanced on a groundout and a wild pitch, and scored when Elijah Lambros hit into a fielder’s choice, making it 3-0.
Another run for the Cocks came in the third, after Michael Braswell singled, advanced on a base hit by Andrew Eyster, and scored on a Madden single, making the score 4-0. Carolina doubled its score in the fourth. Colin Burgess, Landros, and Belk all walked to start things off and load the bases, then Braswell singled to bring in two runs, bumping the score to 6-0. With one out, Eyster knocked a base hit to get two more in, making it an 8-0 game.
The runs kept coming, as the Gamecocks scored again in the fifth after Hornung led off with a single and later scored on a fly out by Belk, making the lead 9-0. The final runs of the game came in the sixth inning. With one out, Madden got hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a ground out, and came home on a base hit by Hornung, putting South Carolina up 10-0. Jack Mahoney then walked, and the last two runs scored on a Lambros single.
Cocks starter Aidan Hunter pitched four innings and allowed four hits but no runs. He walked one batter, struck three out, and got the win, making him 3-2. Cade Austin and Michael Esposito also took the mound in this game. Runnin’ Bulldogs starter Jason L’Etoile took the loss and is now 0-1. Braswell, Eyster, Madden, and Hornung all had two hits, while Lambros led USC with three RBI. Five different Gardner-Webb players tallied one hit apiece.
The Gamecocks improve to 10-6, while the Runnin’ Bulldogs are now 8-11. Carolina will be back in action on Friday, when they open up a series on the road against Tennessee. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.