South Carolina at The Citadel game recap: Gamecocks fall to Bulldogs 4-3

South Carolina is not exactly enjoyable to watch on the diamond these days, as the Gamecocks extended their losing streak to four games on Tuesday in a walkoff 4-3 loss against The Citadel.

The Gamecocks got on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Braylen Wimmer singled with two outs and later scored on a base hit by Carson Hornung. The lead was short-lived though, as the Bulldogs tied the game in the bottom of the inning thanks to a wild pitch.

USC regained the lead in the next inning, going up 2-1 on a solo shot by Colin Burgess. That score held until the sixth, when the Cocks scored their final run of the game after Matt Hogan walked with two outs, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and came home on a passed ball, making it a 3-1 game. The Citadel pulled back within a run in the bottom of the inning, making the score 3-2 on a Ryan McCarthy homer.

Things got rough in the bottom of the ninth, when Carolina’s pitching fell apart and the Bulldogs rallied to score two runs. After a pair of walks and a balk, Noah Mitchell singled to tie the game at 3-3, then after an intentional walk, Crosby Jones knocked a base hit to win the game.

Gamecocks starter Brett Thomas worked one inning and gave up one hit and one run. He didn’t walk any batters and struck one out. Aidan Hunter, Cade Austin, and Michael Braswell combined to go the rest of the way for South Carolina, and Braswell took the loss, making him 1-1. Citadel reliever Tyler Dunn earned the win and is now 1-0. Hornung led the Cocks at the plate with two hits, while he and Burgess each recorded an RBI. USC also stranded 10 runners in this game, which is part of a troubling trend yet again this season. McCarthy led the Bulldogs at the plate with two hits, and he, Mitchell, and Jones each tallied an RBI.

The Gamecocks are now 10-10 overall, while The Citadel is 14-6. The Gamecocks will try to get back on track on Thursday, when they open up a series against Vanderbilt. First pitch is set for 8 p.m. in Columbia.