Following Saturday’s 4-0 shutout loss, the #10 South Carolina Gamecocks have completed the first sweep of the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford since 1998. The Gamecocks won Thursday night’s game 5-1, and Friday night’s contest 9-5, and remain undefeated in SEC play.
Game 1:
The two runs scored in the first inning proved to be enough for the Gamecocks on Thursday night as South Carolina took the Game 1 win against Ole Miss with a final score of 5-1. Rebel ace Brady Bramlett struggled on Thursday, walking 2 batters and then giving up 2 base hits in the first frame; which gave South Carolina the lead for good.
Game 2:
In game 2, the Rebels jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the 1st inning. Following a pair of walks by Gamecock pitcher Braden Webb, Rebel 3rd baseman Colby Bortles came through with a double to score both runners. The Rebels would not score again until the 9th inning, but still only managed to cut the Gamecock lead to 9-5.
The story of Game 2 was the outstanding performance by South Carolina freshman pitcher Braden Webb, who faced 27 batters in 8 innings of play and gave up 3 runs on 4 hits, 2 walks, and struck out an astounding 14 Rebel batters.
Game 3:
The Rebels were unable to salvage anything from this weekend’s series, dropping game 3 to South Carolina 4-0. There’s really nothing that can be said about Saturday’s performance by Ole Miss except that the Rebel bats were incredibly quiet.
Following the best start in program history with being swept in the SEC home opener is very sobering for Ole Miss fans who may have been drinking the Kool-Aid a little too early. But, don’t freak out yet. This team is very talented and Mike Bianco’s staff is very experienced. Being swept is never fun, and there’s rarely a positive spin that can be put on it. But, it happening this early in the season gives the coaching staff an opportunity to assess weaknesses and areas for improvement, and adjust game plans accordingly. They will right the ship, I’m certain.
