Garnet And Black Attack - No. 6 South Carolina vs. Auburn: Gamecocks win series with 4-3 Sunday victory#SpursUphttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50351/gaba-fav.png2014-04-20T18:02:45-04:00http://www.garnetandblackattack.com/rss/stream/53932192014-04-20T18:02:45-04:002014-04-20T18:02:45-04:00Carolina downs Auburn 4-3, takes series
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<figcaption>Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>A much needed series win puts South Carolina snaps two-series losing streak</p> <table border="0"><tbody>
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<td></td>
<td>1</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>5</td>
<td>6</td>
<td>7</td>
<td>8</td>
<td>9</td>
<td>R</td>
<td>H</td>
<td>E</td>
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<td><b>South Carolina Gamecocks<br></b></td>
<td>2</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>10</td>
<td>0</td>
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<td><b>Auburn Tigers<br></b></td>
<td>1</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>10</td>
<td>1</td>
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<p>It's been tough sledding in April for the Gamecocks, who were just 5-7 this month entering today's game including a 3-5 conference record devoid of a series win. After last night's comeback victory, the Yardcocks were afforded the opportunity to snap the drought on Sunday. And thanks to a few runs early and a crucial run late, South Carolina took the rubber match, 4-3.</p>
<p>There was plenty of offense early, as South Carolina chased Auburn starter Trey Wingenarter after 2/3 IP and plated two runners thanks to RBI hits from Joey Pankake and Greyson Greiner. Freshman WIll Crowe surrendered a run in the bottom of the first, but Greiner promptly answered in the second with his second RBI in as many innings. Auburn would scratch another run across in the third, and go on to tie it in the sixth. The game remained tied until the top of the eighth, when a pair of leadoff singles from Kyle Martin and Greiner were followed by a pair of sacrifices (bunt and fly, respectively) that led to a 4-3 Gamecock lead.</p>
<p>Joel Seddon found his way into trouble in the 8th, but struck out a pair of batters to end the inning. Seddon walked one batter in the ninth, but worked around it and sealed the victory for South Carolina. The victory moves South Carolina to 30-10 (10-8 SEC) and maintains a lengthy series winning streak that dates back to 1998.</p>
<p>Seddon gets the win, moving the junior closer to 2-1 on the year. Greiner led the way offensively with three hits, matching his hit total from game two. The fun continues this week with five home games, including a series against ROLL DAMN BASEBALL and a pair of midweek games against Davidson and USC Upstate. Here's hoping the Yardcocks fare better against the Spartans than <a target="_blank" href="http://www.garnetandblackattack.com/2013/12/19/5228974/gamecock-basketball-carolina-shoots-blanks-versus-upstate-falls-74-68">basketball did</a>.</p>
https://www.garnetandblackattack.com/2014/4/20/5634392/carolina-defeats-auburn-4-3-takes-seriesJorge De Los Gallos2014-04-19T20:30:20-04:002014-04-19T20:30:20-04:00South Carolina rallies, evens series with Auburn
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<figcaption>Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>A late-game rally. An exciting win. Now that's more like it.</p> <p>Hello again, win column. The offensive production in the second game of today's doubleheader was still kind of minimal, but the Gamecocks finally took advantage of an opportunity (albeit at the last minute) and bounced back following their loss in the first game.</p>
<p>USC got off to a less-than-impressive start, though, as they had the bases loaded in the second inning, but failed to cash in (stop me if you've heard that before). That failure was magnified when the Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning. DC Arendas had an unfortunate set of errors, then Ryan Tella and Dan Glevenyak knocked RBI singles that brought the runners home.</p>
<p>The Gamecocks finally ended the shutout in the seventh inning. Grayson Greiner and Connor Bright started things off with singles, then Elliott Caldwell laid down a sac bunt to advance them both. Gene Cone was up next, and he came through with an RBI single to make it 2-1. Carolina had a chance to tie or take the lead, but a botched double steal and a fly out ended the threat.</p>
<p>Auburn left the bases packed in the eighth inning, which was fortunate for the Gamecocks. Especially so because finally, South Carolina capitalized. With the bases full of Gamecocks, Gene Cone came through with an RBI double to tie the game, and Jordan Gore knocked a single to give USC a 3-2 lead. The Tigers had no answer, and the Gamecocks finally snapped their losing streak.</p>
<p>Carolina starter Jack Wynkoop worked seven innings and allowed eight hits, two runs, issued no walks, and struck out one batter. Cody Mincey earned the win and improves to 3-0, and Joel Seddon got the save, his tenth of the season. Keegan Thompson, Auburn's starter, went eight innings and gave up eight hits, one run, walked one batter, and tallied five K's. Jay Wade took the loss and drops to 3-2.</p>
<p>Greiner and Cone had three hits each to lead the Gamecocks, while Jordan Ebert and Damek Tomscha had two each to pace the Tigers.</p>
<p>South Carolina is now 29-10 overall (9-8 in the SEC) and Auburn falls to 22-18 overall (7-10 in conference play). Sunday's rubber game is set to begin at 2 p.m.</p>
https://www.garnetandblackattack.com/2014/4/19/5632128/south-carolina-auburn-baseball-game-2-recapKatie Dzwierzynski2014-04-19T14:16:46-04:002014-04-19T14:16:46-04:00Gamecocks drop first game of DH against Auburn
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<figcaption>Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>I would like for the Gamecocks to stop losing.</p> <p>And then there were five...losses in a row.</p>
<p>Things got off to a rough start for USC in the first inning of today's doubleheader, as Auburn took a 4-0 lead thanks to an RBI groundout and a three-run homer. The Tigers did not score again in the game.</p>
<p>The Gamecocks ended the shutout in the third. Connor Bright led off with a single, Tanner English knocked a one-out base hit, and Elliott Caldwell contributed an RBI sac fly that made it 4-1.</p>
<p>Carolina chipped away at the lead with another run in sixth. English started things off with a double, then Caldwell came through again with an RBI single to make it 4-2.</p>
<p>Despite the lack of offense, the Gamecocks were never really out of the game. In the ninth inning, South Carolina had two runners on base with one, then two outs, but couldn't cash in (which has become a troublesome theme as of late).</p>
<p>Jordan Montgomery was a little off early on, but he settled down nicely as the game went on. He pitched the entire game and gave up only four hits, four runs, walked three batters, and struck out four. He took the loss and drops to 5-3. Auburn starter Dillon Ortman also tossed a complete game. He allowed seven hits, two runs, issued no walks, and tallied two K's. He go the win and is now 7-2.</p>
<p>DC Arendas and English each had two hits to lead the Gamecocks, while Jordan Ebert also had two to pace the Tigers.</p>
<p>South Carolina falls to 28-10 (8-8 in the SEC) and Auburn improves to 22-17 (7-9 in conference play). The second game of today's doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.</p>
https://www.garnetandblackattack.com/2014/4/19/5631332/south-carolina-auburn-baseball-game-1-recapKatie Dzwierzynski2014-04-18T09:28:35-04:002014-04-18T09:28:35-04:00South Carolina faces Auburn
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<figcaption>Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Gamecocks look to get back on track as they travel to Auburn this weekend</p> <p>After losing to both <a target="_blank" href="http://www.garnetandblackattack.com/2014/4/15/5619034/no-6-south-carolina-vs-charleston-southern-game-recap-gamecocks-lose">Charleston Southern</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.garnetandblackattack.com/2014/4/16/5623000/south-carolina-citadel-baseball-game-recap">The Citadel</a> this week, South Carolina will face Auburn on the road to begin the second half of SEC play. South Carolina's rankings vary across the major polls from 6th (USA Today coaches' poll) to 15th (Collegiate Baseball) and Auburn is unranked. South Carolina is 41-19 against Auburn all-time. The Gamecocks have won 10 of the last 12 meetings between the two teams, including the last eight games. The Tigers have not won a series against the Gamecocks since 1997.</p>
<p>Halfway through conference play, the SEC is still clearly very strong, but difficult to figure out. The handful of teams at the top and the bottom of the standings is getting more consistent, but there isn't much separation and the middle of the league is still nearly impossible to sort out. In the East, Florida has taken sole possession of the lead with a 9-6 record. The Gamecocks (8-7) are next, followed by Georgia (7-7) with Kentucky and Vandy tied at 7-8 and Missouri and Tennessee tied in last at 6-9. In the West, Alabama (10-5) is still on top, followed by Ole Miss (9-6) and LSU (8-6). Arkansas, Mississippi State and Texas A&M are all tied at 7-8 and Auburn (6-9) is last.</p>
<p>Auburn is 21-17 and enters this weekend's series on a losing streak. After losing Saturday and Sunday's games at Alabama, the Tigers lost to Samford on Tuesday night. Auburn opened SEC play with series wins against both Texas A&M and Tennessee. However, the Tigers then lost the series against Missouri, got swept by Ole Miss, and lost last weekend's rivalry series. Auburn is hitting .287 with an on-base percentage of .376. They have an ERA of 2.94, opponents are hitting .243 against them, and their strikeout-to-walk ratio is 2.28.</p>
<p>The Gamecocks, now 28-9, enter the weekend on their first four-game losing streak since 2009. The past week has been a disheartening one for the Gamecocks as they lost the final two games against Florida by blowing late leads, then lost two midweek games against teams they should have been able to beat. Coach Holbrook said after Wednesday's loss that the team's confidence has been shaken by the recent slump and that they need the feeling of winning again. The Gamecocks are hitting .282 with a .357 on-base percentage. The team ERA is now 2.08, which drops the Gamecocks down to 4th in the country in ERA. Opponents are hitting .219 against them. South Carolina's strikeout-to-walk ratio is 3.13, which is good for 8th in the country.</p>
<p>After beginning SEC play with a couple of rough appearances, South Carolina's Friday night starter Jordan Montgomery has had great performances in his last few starts. The junior left-hander was fantastic against Florida last week and will take the mound against Auburn with a 3.48 ERA and a team-leading 55 strikeouts and 18 walks. Senior right-handed pitcher Dillon Ortman will get the start for the Tigers. He has an ERA of 2.20 with 43 strikeouts and nine walks. On Saturday sophomore left-hander Jack Wynkoop will start for the Gamecocks. He has a 2.33 ERA and, with 44 strikeouts and eight walks, has the best strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.5) of the three weekend starters. Auburn's Saturday starter will be freshman right-hander Keegan Thompson. His ERA is 1.72 and he has 51 strikeouts and 15 walks on the season. Freshman right-handed pitcher Wil Crowe will start for the Gamecocks on Sunday. Crowe has an ERA of 2.13 and has 33 strikeouts and 10 walks this season. Sophomore right-hander Trey Wingenter will start opposite Crowe. He has a 1.93 ERA with 22 strikeouts and six walks.</p>
<p>Injuries will continue to be a problem for the Gamecocks against Auburn. Max Schrock has now missed playing time for a variety of reasons: he injured his ankle earlier in the season, he's been fighting a virus the last week or so, and has a back injury that is bothering him. Schrock started at 3rd base Wednesday, but had to leave the game. Coach Holbrook said after the game that it's possible that Schrock is out for the remainder of the season. Joey Pankake has a strained hamstring and is questionable for the weekend, but there is a chance that he will play. Marcus Mooney has a concussion and is not likely to play this weekend. Connor Bright, who has a hyperextended elbow, is also unlikely to play in the Auburn series. The latest in the string of Gamecock injuries is relief pitcher Vince Fiori. Fiori pulled a muscle in Wednesday night's game and will not be available to pitch this weekend. Fiori's loss is a blow for the Gamecocks; he is the only Gamecock pitcher with a significant amount of work (16 innings in 13 appearances) that still has not allowed an earned run.</p>
<p>In much more cheerful news, the players have adopted a new mascot that they appear to be using as a rallying point. Grayson Greiner <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/ggreiner21/status/456820446696976384">tweeted a picture</a> Thursday afternoon of a bunny named Byron that he and his roommates now own. Byron made the trip to Auburn with his new family and already has <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/ByronTheBunny">his own twitter account</a>. Many of the players on twitter are <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Vinnyfiori23/status/456857681211699200">openly endorsing</a> Byron as a source of inspiration. This situation bears an obvious parallel to the 2012 season when LB Dantzler <a target="_blank" href="http://www.gamecocksonline.com/blog/2012/04/fear-the-fish.html">took his pet fish with him to Auburn</a> and the team had a big offensive weekend and got a series sweep. Reptar then became an unofficial mascot and rallying point for the team for the remainder of the season. While the circumstances surrounding Byron's debut with the team are much more deliberate, he will hopefully have a similar positive effect on the team.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>First family photo, safe to say we are proud parents <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Byron&src=hash">#Byron</a> 🐰 <a href="http://t.co/5SccfdfJtT">pic.twitter.com/5SccfdfJtT</a></p>
— Grayson Greiner (@ggreiner21) <a href="https://twitter.com/ggreiner21/statuses/456971011506712576">April 18, 2014</a>
</blockquote>
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<p><strike><b>Game 1, Friday</b></strike></p>
<p><strike> </strike></p>
<p><strike><b>Start time: </b>7 p.m.</strike></p>
<p><strike> </strike></p>
<p><strike><b>Location: </b>Auburn, Alabama (Plainsman Park)</strike></p>
<p><strike> </strike></p>
<p><strike><b>TV:</b> None</strike></p>
<p><b>UPDATE: Friday's game has been rained out. There will be a doubleheader on Saturday with Game 1 beginning at 12 p.m. Game 2 will be played at 5 as scheduled. </b></p>
<p><b>Game 2, Saturday</b></p>
<p><b>Start time: </b>5 p.m.</p>
<p><b>Location: </b>Auburn, Alabama (Plainsman Park)</p>
<p><b>TV:</b> CBS Sports Network</p>
<p><b>Game 3, Sunday</b></p>
<p><b>Start time: </b>2 p.m.</p>
<p><b>Location: </b>Auburn, Alabama (Plainsman Park)</p>
<p><b>TV:</b> CSS (Also streamed live on ESPN3)</p>
<p><b>All three games will also be available on the radio at 107.5 The Game</b></p>
<p></p>
https://www.garnetandblackattack.com/2014/4/18/5627568/south-carolina-vs-auburn-series-previewKaci B