Pitching scuffles in SEC Tournament loss to LSU
At some point, South Carolina’s thin bullpen was going to catch up with the Gamecocks in the SEC Tournament.
They didn’t have to wait long to meet the unstoppable force, struggling on the mound against a vaunted LSU offense.
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The Tigers jumped out to an early lead and kept coming in waves en route to a 10-3 victory. The loss sends South Carolina to the losers bracket portion of the SEC Tournament.
I think when both teams had to go to the bullpen, that’s when it changed. We were very inconsistent out of the bullpen. I thought the guys that came in made some big pitches,. But my message to the team afterwards was it’s got to be about consistency,” Kingston said.
“What you can show, what you do, but you’ve got to do it over and over. And I just thought their guys were a little bit better out of the bullpen, a lot better today, and I think that was the difference in the ballgame.
The Gamecocks (39-18, 16-13 SEC) will play again at 10:30 a.m. ET in an elimination game against either No. 2 Arkansas or No. 10 Texas A&M.
South Carolina got most of what it wanted out of Jones, who gave up just two runs through the first four innings–both on a two-run homer–and looked in control.
The wheels fell off in the fifth, giving up two two-strike singles and getting pulled after that. Nick Proctor came in and struggled, loading the bases with a single then issuing two four-pitch walks.
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LSU got two more in the inning on sacrifice flies en route to a four-run inning.
“Proctor has been tremendous for us all year. Just didn’t have it today. For whatever reason, just he wasn’t throwing with the command that he usually does,” Kingston said. “It’s going to happen at times. Hasn’t happened very often for him, but it did today.
The Gamecocks had a shot in the following inning, loading the bases with one out and chasing starter Thatcher Hurd after a bases-loaded walk from Ethan Petry.
They’d get another run thanks to yet another bases-loaded walk but couldn’t get anything else going. Gavin Casas struck out on a full count after two questionable calls then Will Tippett grounded out to end the inning.
That halted any momentum South Carolina had, and the Gamecocks couldn’t recover, especially on the mound.
“Deflation is much too strong a word for a bunch of 18- to 22-year-olds in the middle of an inning, in the middle of a game. Do they get frustrated? Yeah,” Kingston said. “Do they feel like it’s a lost opportunity? Of course they do. Everybody does. But deflation means you’re about ready to give up, and this team never gets that.
Petry, though, seems to be rounding into form of late and showed signs of that again Wednesday.
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He broke up Hurd’s perfect game in the fourth, leading off the inning with a solo home run.
Petry hit his first home run against SEC competition since the Florida series. He picked up his first multi-RBI game since May 3 against Winthrop.
“I’m feeling pretty good right now. I’ve been struggling lately, and I just kept working hard and trusting my teammates around me,” Petry said. “Just kept the course, and now I’m getting back to it and just looking forward to the next game.
South Carolina’s offense, though, couldn’t find the timely hits like it did Tuesday. The Gamecocks went 1-for-11 with runners on and 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
“It’s more their pitchers making pitches,” Petry said. “They’ve got elite pitchers, and they just made pitches, and we tried to do too much with them, and this just happens.
LSU tagged the Gamecocks for six more runs, finishing with 10 runs on 12 hits with almost all of those singles.
South Carolina didn’t help itself on the pitching side, hitting two batters and giving up seven walks to just six strikeouts with two wild pitches.
The Gamecocks were without Cole Messina for most of the game, which could contribute to the struggles.
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Messina took a ball off the face in the second inning and left the game after warming up before the third.
LSU scored in three of the six innings after Messina left the team, and the Gamecocks’ starting catcher is in concussion protocol.
“I want to hear it officially from the doctor, but talking to the athletic trainer, that is the impression I was given,” Kingston said. “So we took the safe route to get him out of the game.
Up next: South Carolina will either play Texas A&M or Arkansas in an elimination game Thursday morning. That game will start at 10:30 a.m. ET on the SEC Network.
