After almost a year without a game, college baseball is back and South Carolina started all over the place, beating Dayton 12-1 at the opening of the season at Founders Park.
Gamecocks entered the board early, with a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Brady Allen walked over to get things started, Brandon Milone followed up with a single and Wes Clarke spun around to clean the bases. Those three races would have been enough to win this game, but USC increased the lead in the third entry, doubling in four more. Allen started with a triple, Milone and Clarke walked and Andrew Eyster came with a grand slam to put the home team 7-0. Everything that offends everything is good!
Another run came in the fifth round, when Eyster tripled and returned home on an RBI fly from Colin Burgess to make it 8-0. The shutout ended the next inning, in a solo shot by Alex Brickman. South Carolina managed that race and another at the end of Friday, however. George Callil started things up with a double, Allen doubled up to bring Callil home, so Clarke knocked out a one-out RBI base hit to put Gamecocks in double digits, making it a 10-1 game.
The last two races of the game were scheduled on the eighth entry. Clarke doubled up to lead, Braylen Wimmer left with one and Burgess ended with a two-race single after Dayton’s outfielder dropped the ball.
USC starter Jordan Farr had a fantastic game, working six entries and winning 1-0. He allowed five hits, one run, two hitters and eight hits. Magdiel Cotto and Jackson Phipps combined to do the rest of the way for Gamecocks. Flyers holder Hunter Wolfe took the loss and is 0-1. Allen, Clarke and Eyster ended the game with three hits each, and Clarke and Eyster also registered four RBI each, while Burgess was right behind with three.
The teams will meet again on Saturday afternoon, with the first course set for 1 pm in Columbia. Brannon Jordan is set to start on the mound for the home team.