Baseball Slips To No. 5 South Carolina, 8-3

COLUMBIA, S.C. – In the first clash of this weekend’s three-game series, the University at Albany baseball team slipped, 8-3, to No. 5 South Carolina, Saturday at Carolina Stadium. While the Gamecocks improved to 3-1 on the season, UAlbany (0-3) will look for its first win in Sunday’s doubleheader, beginning at noon.

In the contest, sophomore Adam Mund led the Great Danes with two hits (2-for-4), while redshirt junior Josh Nethaway belted UAlbany’s first home run of the season and classmate Brian Bullard lined a double. UAlbany totaled seven hits in the afternoon.

South Carolina struck first in the bottom of the opening inning with a single run, as they strung together a leadoff walk and two singles with two outs. The Gamecocks added three runs in the second, batting around the order with five singles off starter Kasceim Graham. South Carolina took a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the third with a run on a sac fly following two hit batsmen and a walk.

Despite the early five-run deficit, the Great Danes battled back with solo runs in the fourth and fifth frames. In the fourth, Nethaway blasted a solo shot over the left field wall with two outs off South Carolina starter Jordan Montgomery. UAlbany made the score 5-2 in the fifth when Mund led off with a single up the middle, Craig Lepre followed with a walk, Nolan Gaige laid down a sacrifice bunt, and Gordan Madej lined home Mund with an RBI single to left-centerfield.

However, the Gamecocks earned the runs back in the sixth with LB Dantzler’s three-run home run off reliever Cameron Sorgie, stretching the margin to six, 8-2.

Sorgie kept South Carolina off the board in the final frames, while UAlbany tagged Gamecock reliever Curt Britt with a run in the top of the ninth. With Bullard on second after a double to right-center, pinch hitter Evan Harasta brought him home with a single to the same location.

Montgomery (2-0) earned the win for South Carolina, tossing five innings, while allowing two earned runs on five hits, three walks, and struck out five. Britt earned the save, as he threw four frames, giving up a run, two hits, while striking out three.

Graham (0-1) took the loss for the Danes, hurling two and a third frames, allowing five runs, seven hits, and two walks. Out of the bullpen, Sorgie tossed five and two-thirds, allowing three runs, four hits, four walks, while striking out six.