COLUMBIA, S.C. — Strong pitching kept App State within striking distance of No. 21 South Carolina throughout their midweek matchup Tuesday, but the Gamecocks pulled out a 2-0 victory at Founders Park.
The two teams combined for just seven hits, with freshman starter
Ben Peterson,
Shane Roberts (previously a member of South Carolina's program),
Cy Smith and
Andrew Papp limiting South Carolina (32-18) to four hits.
South Carolina's Wes Clarke homered for the 20th time this season, hitting a solo shot in the first, and the Gamecocks added another run on a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. Those were the only two runners to reach third base all night, as the Gamecocks' only hits after the homer were two balls just inside the bag at third and an infield single.
App State (18-29) got hits from
Phillip Cole,
Alex Leshock and
Andrew Terrell, who reached base twice. After
Hayden Cross was hit by a pitch in the eighth inning,
Bailey Welch represented the tying run when he drove a ball to deep left, but it was caught on the warning track a few feet inside the foul pole.
Making his fourth start, with 2.2 innings as his previous season high, Peterson allowed four hits, struck out batter and issued just one walk in 4.1 innings.
Roberts retired all five batters he faced and struck out two of them after relieving Peterson with a runner on third in the fifth, with the second run scoring on a flyout to right.
Smith struck out two batters in a scoreless seventh inning, and Papp had one strikeout in a scoreless eighth.
App State closes the regular season with a Sun Belt home series that starts Thursday against South Alabama.
