Petry's multi-homer game propels South Carolina to series win
Sophomore slump? Ethan Petry’s never heard of it.
After going 0-for-3 on Opening Day, Petry got in on the fun and clubbed two homers to help South Carolina (2-0) to a 11-4 win over Miami (Ohio) on Saturday. It was the fourth multi-homer game of his college career.
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Making his first start as a Gamecock, Dylan Eskew had trouble locating his pitches in the first inning. At one point, he had thrown seven straight balls. He walked three batters and put himself in a bases loaded jam with two outs. But Eskew was able to get out of it with a strikeout to the next batter he faced.
His struggles continued into the second as he opened the frame with another walk. He was able to retire the next two hitters before Parker Noland booted a grounder up the middle, leading to the first run of the game.
Fortunately, his offense didn’t take long to pick him up. Because in the next frame, the Gamecocks scored four runs on four hits, kickstarted with an RBI double off the bat of Tyler Causey. Dylan Brewer, Will Tippett and Blake Jackson all followed suit with RBIs of their own in the inning.
In the third, Petry got a good 2-0 pitch to swing at and hit it on a line. Whether it was the wind or his sheer strength, the ball traveled 420 feet and landed in the trees next to the home bullpen. It was a solo shot to give the Gamecocks a 5-1 lead.
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Then to the lead off the fifth, he did it again. Only this time the ball didn’t travel as far or fast as the first one. Petry swung at the first pitch he saw and hit it into the home bullpen, a solo homer that traveled 389 feet.
The Gamecocks would follow Petry’s lead and plate four more runs in the inning to take a commanding 10-1 lead. And it would be more than enough run support for Eskew to work with.
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After throwing 48 pitches through the first two frames, Eskew started to settle in nicely. Over the next three innings, he retired all nine batters faced and didn’t surrender a hit or walk. His day came to an end after five innings as he finished with six strikeouts.
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Once Eskew exited the game and the score being what it was, it was a good time to get as many relievers as possible in there. Connor McCreery allowed two runners on to start the sixth but retired the next three batters. Drake Quinn, a Marist transfer, followed with a 1-2-3 seventh.
The eighth inning, however, didn’t run as smoothly. To start, Jevarra Martin came in and walked one then hit another batter, bringing an end to his brief outing. Joey Wittig was called on to come in and get out of trouble. But he’d allow two hits, leading to three runs, only one of which he was charged with.
Wittig got out of further damage by inducing a double play followed by a strikeout to end the frame. He’d come back out for the ninth and pitch a clean frame to finish off the ballgame.
Related: South Carolina-Miami (Ohio) box score
Up next: South Carolina will go for the series sweep against the Redhawks on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is at 1:30 p.m. on SEC Network Plus. Roman Kimball, who hasn’t pitched in a game since June 2022, will make the start for the Gamecocks.