Grayson Greiner, LB Dantzler, and Joey Pankake all went yard tonight as South Carolina topped The Citadel 9-5 in Charleston.
The Bulldogs were the first ones on the board tonight, and it happened in the first inning. Mason Davis started the game off with a triple, and he came home on a sac fly from Joe Jackson to make it 1-0.
It’s great that Vergason’s been getting on base a lot, but this is a painful way to do it.
That lead was short-lived, though, as the Cocks tallied a couple runs of their own in the third inning. Connor Bright singled to lead things off and Greiner followed that with a bomb to center, his second dinger of the season.
USC added to their lead in the fourth, as Dantzler homered (his seventh) to lead off the inning and make it 3-1 Yardcocks.
The fifth inning saw Carolina put up two more runs. TJ Costen led off by reaching base on a fielding error, then Shon Carson reached on another error, and Costen advanced to put runners on the corners for Chase Vergason. He grounded out, but it was enough to get Costen in. Joey Pankake singled for a RBI of his own that put the Gamecocks on top 5-1.
The Citadel narrowed the gap a little in the sixth. Drew DeKerlegand started things off by coaxing a walk and Bo Thompson knocked a one-out singled to put runners on the corners. A fielder’s choice brought DeKerlegand across the dish for the Bulldogs’ second run of the night.
Both teams scored in the seventh inning. South Carolina made it 6-2 as Costen doubled to begin the inning, moved to third on a passed ball, and came home on a sac fly from Carson. Things got tense in the bottom of the seventh inning, though. The Citadel scored three runs, which meant South Carolina led just 6-5. Brett Bullard, pinch-hitting, led off with a double and Hughston Armstrong singled to put runners on the corners with no outs. A triple from DeKerlegand was good for two RBI, then he crossed the plate thanks to an error in the field.
The Cocks added a little bit of insurance in the next inning. Pinch-hitting Kyle Martin followed Bullard’s lead and doubled to start things off. Tanner English, making his first appearance since he was injured while playing Ball State, pinch-ran and advanced to third on a sac bunt from Bright. Greiner flied out, but it was enough to get English in and put USC up 7-5.
The Yardcocks weren’t quite done scoring, though. After Vergason reached base thanks to a fielding error, Pankake came through and with a two-run home run, his fifth long ball of the season.
Carolina starter Jack Wynkoop worked 5 1/3 innings and allowed five hits, two runs, walked one batter, and struck out five. He earned the win and improves to 4-0 on the season. Tyler Webb pitched the final two innings and retired all six batters he faced, striking out two of them. He got the save, his eighth of the year. Bulldogs starter Logan Cribb went 3 2/3 innings and gave up four hits, three runs, issued three walks, and recorded two K’s. He took the loss and drops to 1-2 on the season.
The Yardcocks are now 18-3 overall and will be back in action this weekend when they host No. 16 Arkansas. First pitch for Friday’s game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the game being will be televised on CSS/ESPN3. Saturday’s game is set for 3:15 p.m. and will be broadcast on Fox Sports South/Fox Sports Carolinas/ESPN3. Sunday’s game will start at 1:30 p.m. and will not be on TV.
