COLUMBIA, S.C. – Bethune-Cookman Baseball fell in both games of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon against No. 20 South Carolina at Founders Park. The Wildcats dropped the opener 8-5, before losing in the nightcap 10-3.
 
GAME ONE: No. 20 South Carolina 8, Bethune-Cookman 5
Luis Tuero turned in a 3-for-5 performance at the plate as Bethune-Cookman dropped the opening game of a Saturday doubleheader at No. 20 South Carolina with an 8-5 score line at Founders Park in Columbia, South Carolina.
 
With South Carolina (15-1) up 2-0 heading into the top of the third, Bethune-Cookman answered to halve the lead.
 
Garret Chun knocked a two-out double to right field, followed by Hylan Hall's RBI single up the middle to score the BCU left fielder and cut the deficit at 2-1.
 
The Gamecocks would extend the lead at 4-1 with a pair of runs in the home-half of the third, using an Ethan Petry single through the left side to score teammates Cole Messina and Gavin Casas.
 
Once again, Bethune-Cookman (8-7) cut into the lead with two runs in the top of the fifth.
 
With the bases full of Wildcats and one out, it was Boris Peña delivering a two-run single to right to bring around Hall and Chun, cutting the score to 4-3.
 
However, South Carolina tacked on three runs in the home-half of the inning.
 
A fielder's choice RBI from Petry scored Braylen Wimmer from third, while Casas scored one play later on a failed pickoff attempt from BCU starting pitcher Nolan Santos as he tried to get Wimmer at first. Designated hitter Carson Hornung singled to first in order to plate Petry unearned.
 
The score was 7-3 in favor of the Gamecocks after five innings played.
 
In the top of the sixth, BCU picked up three hits. But it would be a Chun double play groundout that allowed Jeremy Garcia to score from third and trim the score to 7-4.
 
South Carolina picked up a run in the bottom of the eighth with a Wimmer leadoff home run to left center, advancing the lead out to 8-4.
 
The Cats scored their final run of the game in the top of the ninth, as designated hitter Robert Moya doubled in his at-bat, coming in to score two plays later off the end of a Jorge Braceras RBI groundout.
 
The win went to Gamecocks starter Noah Hall, keeping his record for the year perfect at 3-0. He worked the minimum five innings required on the bump, giving up three runs on six hits, five walks and collecting five strikeouts. James Hicks picked up his first save of the season with four innings worked out of the bullpen, giving up a pair of runs on five hits.
 
BCU's Santos took the loss to drop his first decision of the year and put his record at 2-1 on the campaign. He went 4.1 innings on the rubber, allowing seven runs (four earned) on seven hits, five walks and picking up four strikeouts. Dale Michaud closed the game on the hill for the Maroon and Gold, working the final 3.2 innings and grabbing two strikeouts.
 
Hornung led the Gamecocks with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate, adding two RBIs as well.
 
BCU was paced offensively by third baseman Luis Tuero with a 3-for-5 showing. Garcia collected a 2-for-4 effort at the dish with a run scored.
 
GAME TWO: No. 20 South Carolina 10, Bethune-Cookman 3
Bethune-Cookman pounded out eight hits, but the Wildcats left 10 men on base in dropping the nightcap of a Saturday doubleheader at No. 20 South Carolina by a score of 10-3 at Founders Park in Columbia, South Carolina.
 
Bethune-Cookman (8-8) fell behind 1-0 after the first inning, but the Wildcats quickly rebounded to knot the game at 1-all in the next frame.
 
Catcher Irvin Escobar tallied an RBI single to center in order to bring in Boris Peña and tie the game at 1-1. Peña was hit by a pitch in leading off the inning for the Cats.
 
The homestanding Gamecocks scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning to regain the lead 5-1.
 
With the bases loaded and one away, South Carolina left fielder Caleb Denny recorded the second grand slam in as many days for the hosts.
 
South Carolina (16-1) would go on to score three runs across the next two innings, including a Talmadge LeCroy double down the line in left to plate Ethan Petry for the 6-1 lead in the home-half of the third.
 
In the top of the fifth inning, BCU began a two-out rally with a double down the right field line from Luis Tuero, followed in the next at-bat by Garret Chun's single to second . A two-out double to right center from Peña scored Tuero and pulled the Maroon and Gold within 8-2.
 
The Gamecocks added a pair of runs to make it 10-2 in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Petry's sacrifice fly to right scored Braylen Wimmer. And it was a LeCroy RBI groundout to third to score Gavin Casas to finish the scoring in the contest for the 20th-ranked Gamecocks.
 
The Wildcats loaded the bases in the ninth, and eventually scored a run with an RBI walk drawn by Malik Stephens in order to produce the final 10-3 score line.
 
Bethune-Cookman finishes the week having played four games against top 25 opponents.
 
Gamecocks starter Jack Mahoney picked up the win to improve to 2-0 on the year in tossing six innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and nine strikeouts. The loss went to BCU starter Daniel Gaviria who fell to 2-1 on the season in working four innings and giving up eight runs (seven earned) on five hits, three walks and recording three strikeouts.
 
Wimmer was 3-for-4 at the dish for South Carolina, while LeCroy picked up two hits in three trips.
 
The Wildcats were led at the plate by Tuero and Chun with two hits apiece.
 
Bethune-Cookman returns home for the first of 12 consecutive games at Jackie Robinson Ballpark when the Cats welcome Jacksonville to Daytona Beach on Tuesday, March 14, at 7 p.m.
 
Follow Bethune-Cookman Baseball on Twitter (@BCUDiamondCats) and Instagram (@BCUBaseball) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUAthletics), Instagram (@BCU_Athletics) and BCUathletics.com.