South Carolina Baseball added a jolt of energy to its up-and-down 2025 season with a dominant 13-3 run-rule win over USC Upstate Tuesday night at Founders Park, powered by big bats and sharp pitching.
Dalton Mashore launched a grand slam in the first inning, and Ethan Petry followed with a two-run homer in the second, giving the Gamecocks all they needed to close out the game in seven innings behind a five-man pitching effort.
“Dalton certainly gave us a big lift there in the first inning with a grand slam, and Petry with a two-run homer,” said Paul Mainieri, the first-year head coach. “It was a good win for us to get to our 20th win of the year. I didn’t think it would take us this long to get there, but we got there.”
Breaking Down the Season So Far
South Carolina now stands at 20-14 overall, including an impressive 18-4 in non-SEC games. Their only non-conference losses have come against ACC heavyweights Clemson (three times) and North Carolina, currently ranked No. 4 and No. 16, respectively, by D1Baseball.
But in SEC play, the Gamecocks are struggling at 2-10, placing them near the bottom of the standings—only ahead of Florida and Missouri. They’ve yet to win a conference series, with losses to Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Arkansas, and Tennessee.
Despite the inconsistencies, Mainieri remains optimistic.
“They can shake things off pretty quickly,” he said of his young roster. “It’s a good thing to have a short memory as a young player… We had a disappointing ending to the weekend, but you just have to look forward.”
Game Recap
Tuesday’s game was decided early. Mainieri shuffled the lineup, placing Petry in the No. 2 spot behind Nathan Hall, with Mashore and Ryan Bakes also starting.
Mashore, taking advantage of loaded bases in his first at-bat, drilled his first home run of the season, a grand slam to deep center.
“What better situation I could be put in with the bases loaded my first at-bat,” Mashore said. “I tried to stay loose and calm and squared up a ball pretty well.”
Petry followed with his ninth homer of the year — and the 53rd of his career — putting him just nine shy of Justin Smoak’s school record.
The Gamecocks pulled away in the sixth with a six-run explosion, featuring a three-run double from Jordan Carrion and a two-run single by KJ Scobey. Cayden Gaskin capped the night with a walk-off solo home run in the seventh. Eight of the nine starters recorded hits as USC collected 12 hits total.
Injury Updates
Dalton Eskew, out with a concussion and oblique strain, threw a bullpen session Tuesday. Mainieri reported the session “went as well as it could have.”
Unfortunately, senior catcher Talmadge LeCroy is likely done for the season due to a hip injury. A possible medical redshirt is being considered for him.
Upcoming Schedule for South Carolina Baseball
- April 10 at Texas A&M, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
- April 11 at Texas A&M, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- April 12 at Texas A&M, 3 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- April 15 vs. The Citadel, 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- April 17-19 vs. Ole Miss (All games on SEC Network Plus)
With six SEC series and 22 games remaining, the Gamecocks have ground to make up — but this latest win shows they still have the firepower to turn things around.
