The University of South Carolina baseball team lost to Kentucky 9-5 on April 26 at Founders Park, despite having secured the series with wins on Friday and Saturday.
The outcome was decided in the final innings as Kentucky scored five runs across the eighth and ninth. The Wildcats started strong with a solo home run in the first inning and added three more runs in the third through two RBI singles. South Carolina narrowed the gap when Ethan Lizama hit his second home run of the series, bringing in Talmadge LeCroy.
In the fifth inning, South Carolina loaded the bases with two outs. Caleb Hoover and Aaron Jamison scored on a single from LeCroy, tying the game at four. Dawson Harman then walked with bases loaded, giving South Carolina a brief lead. However, Kentucky regained control after an RBI single by Braxton VanCleve and a two-run home run from Caeden Cloud in the eighth inning. The Wildcats extended their lead further by scoring twice more on three hits in the ninth.
LeCroy led South Carolina’s offense with three hits and two runs batted in during Sunday’s game. Alex Philpott took the loss for South Carolina after allowing two hits and three runs over 2.1 innings pitched.
According to postgame notes provided by South Carolina athletics staff, LeCroy’s multi-hit performance tied him for most multi-hit games this season alongside KJ Scobey at fourteen each. The Gamecocks have now won their last four series against Kentucky when playing at Columbia. Over this weekend’s matchups, LeCroy had seven hits and drove in three runs while Lizama contributed six RBIs.
South Carolina will finish its current homestand on Tuesday night against The Citadel; first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., with streaming available via SEC Network Plus.
