Late-Game Offense Powers South Carolina to Opening Day Victory

On a crisp afternoon that faded into evening, South Carolina struggled to get the ball out of the infield—except for the explosive Ethan Petry, who blasted a solo homer to lead off the third inning. The Gamecocks had gotten off to a strong start, scoring three early runs, but after Petry’s shot, their offense seemed to stall. By the seventh inning, they had failed to record a hit since that blast.

Then, a glimmer of hope came in the form of Blake Jackson. The speedy outfielder, who led the team in stolen bases last season, worked a walk and quickly stole second base. He then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Though they still hadn’t registered a hit, the Gamecocks were suddenly in scoring position, and the dugout buzzed with energy.

“When any guy steals a bag like that, it’s a ton of momentum. It’s a big momentum builder for the team,” said Henry Kaczmar. “You see him get there, and he’s super hyped up. That kind of gives energy for the whole dugout. And everyone felt that.”

On the very next pitch, Kaczmar delivered a clutch go-ahead RBI single to center, putting South Carolina back in the lead at 4-3. They would hold on to win 5-3 in the season opener against Sacred Heart.

“I came in the dugout after the inning and gave (Jackson) a huge hug,” Kaczmar said, reflecting on the moment. “It’s just great for him to be able to get that bag for the team.” Kaczmar went 1-for-4 in his South Carolina debut, adding to the excitement of the win.

This victory marks the first for new head coach Paul Mainieri, who takes over after seven seasons of Mark Kingston at the helm.

The Gamecocks added an important insurance run in the eighth when Nolan Nawrocki drove in pinch-runner Evan Stone with a key RBI single. While the offense wasn’t explosive, with just seven hits and only two extra-base hits, South Carolina made things happen in other ways. They swiped four bases and moved runners effectively, striking out just six times.

“I don’t really want us to be known as a small ball team. That’s not the intention,” Mainieri said. “But with this time of year, when it’s chilly and you get that north wind blowing in, I’ve always said there’s no climbable condition that affects baseball more than the wind. … I just felt like tonight, going into the game, that we were going to have to manufacture some runs. So that’s why we utilized the hit and run and we utilized stealing bases. Tried to make some things happen.”

Despite a quiet offensive day, the bullpen sealed the deal, shutting down the Pioneers the rest of the way.

Starter Dylan Eskew was sharp, going five innings of one-run ball, striking out a career-high nine batters. Relief struggles came in the sixth, however, when Tyler Pitzer failed to find rhythm, walking three batters and only recording one out. Parker Marlatt entered, managing to escape further damage despite Sacred Heart tying the game at 3-3 on an infield single.

Marlatt settled down after the seventh, tossing 2.2 innings, allowing two hits, and striking out five. With a two-run cushion in the ninth, Brendan Sweeney made quick work of the Pioneers, retiring the side in order on just six pitches, including a strikeout.

“We’ve been grooming him for this. This is why I felt confident that we could move Matthew Becker into the starting rotation because I felt Sweeney could handle that kind of situation,” Mainieri said of Sweeney in the closer role. “We’ve been making these situations for him in scrimmage games. He’s such a nice kid and very soft spoken. So we’re trying to make him a little meaner. So we gave him a nickname — we call him ‘The Bulldog’ now. So nobody calls him Brendan Sweeney. We just call him the Bulldog.”

Looking ahead, South Carolina will aim for the series win against Sacred Heart on Saturday. Matthew Becker will make his first start of the season. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. on SEC Network Plus.