Paul Mainieri stood on the field at Fluor Field in Greenville on Saturday, already having lost his first series in South Carolina, even before facing Clemson at home.
He sounded like a man who had lost his wallet and was willing to wade through a sewer if necessary. “We’re gonna have to find it from somewhere, that’s for sure,” he said. He was referring to his offense, which wasn’t missing but entirely absent. After Sunday’s 8-2 loss to No. 12 Clemson at Founders Park, the Gamecocks’ offensive struggles continued. This sweep marked Clemson’s second consecutive victory over South Carolina and its third in the last four years.
Mainieri acknowledged that losses are inevitable during the season but noted, “It just hurts a little bit more when you lose to Clemson.” The Gamecocks (9-3) were swept this weekend not because they didn’t have opportunities, but because they failed to capitalize on them. In their opening loss on Friday, South Carolina stranded 11 runners and lost by two runs. On Saturday, they started the game with the bases loaded and no outs — yet couldn’t score. Sunday was no different, with missed chances and moments where someone could have stepped up. In the second and third innings, the Gamecocks had two men on base each time but struck out both times to end the inning. In the fourth, Clemson walked a batter with two outs, and up stepped Ethan Petry — who also struck out swinging.
“It takes something special out of a player to rise up in those situations,” Mainieri said. While there were early-season concerns about South Carolina’s batting, their 9-0 start had disguised those issues. The Gamecocks were managing to win tight games, but their struggles with the bat became evident this weekend. USC hit just .160 (15 for 94) against Clemson, including .121 (4 for 33) with runners in scoring position, and struck out 36 times, managing only six runs.
“There’s a lot of o-fers on that box score. There has been all week,” Mainieri said. “It can be fleeting, then all of a sudden, it starts to click. Hopefully, we have the ability to do it. All we can do is put the guys out there we think are the best and encourage them.” Even with limited offense, most of South Carolina’s production came from two players: Petry and Nathan Hall, who had seven hits and three walks combined. The rest of the team had only eight hits and six walks. “You’ve got to get more than a third of your lineup performing,” Mainieri said.
Sunday’s lineup shuffle, in an attempt to find some offense, included changes due to injuries to catcher Talmadge LeCroy and left fielder Kennedy Jones. Mainieri replaced several positions and started fresh with Max Kaufer and Ryan Bakes, while shifting Jordan Carrion, Will Tippett, and adding Jase Woita. Despite these changes, the Gamecocks only managed five hits and continue to search for their offense.
“You are who you are,” Mainieri said. “Guys are trying the best they can. But there’s guys struggling… Guys who had really good falls and even good preseasons have struggled thus far.”
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