Harman's multi-homer day powers South Carolina to series sweep over Missouri

A lot has changed for South Carolina baseball since its most recent series sweep of a conference opponent: three straight victories over a No. 3-ranked Vanderbilt squad from March 23-24, 2024.

Take the makeup of the Gamecocks’ personnel as a prime example. The program has undergone not one, but two head coaching changes since then; interim head coach Monte Lee is the lone remaining staff member from the 2024 season. The roster has similarly undergone significant turnover, as Talmadge LeCroy and Jake McCoy are the only current players who were in the home dugout at Founders Park during the aforementioned series against the Commodores.

Despite all that movement, an SEC series that finished 748 days later, albeit against a different team, yielded the same result for South Carolina. The Gamecocks brought out the brooms, and Dawson Harman brought plenty of power to the plate, in a 6-4 victory in their series finale against Missouri Saturday afternoon.

South Carolina (18-19, 5-10 SEC) received lots of production from its starting pitching in games one and two of the series. It did not, however, get as much out of its offense. The Gamecocks mustered a combined eight hits on Thursday and Friday and proved ineffective with runners in scoring position, going 0-16 in such situations.

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That streak didn’t extend far into game three. Back-to-back singles put Ethan Lizama and KJ Scobey on base in the second inning, and they both moved to third and second base, respectively, on a wild pitch. After Aaron Jamison struck out, Harman brought both runners home to score on a single into right field.

South Carolina struggled with timely hitting for the remainder in the game, but it didn’t matter. By the time the fourth inning rolled around, the Gamecocks had altered their strategy to launching balls out of the park.

Harman and Scobey were the primary benefactors of that strategy. The former launched solo shots in the fourth and sixth innings, headlining a 3-4 performance at the plate. The latter, meanwhile, snapped an 0-7 skid in the series by also going 3-4 with a home run of his own.

Will Craddock eventually joined the fun in the top of the ninth, launching a ball 436 feet over the wall in left field to build further on his team’s lead.

Even with its uptick in offense, South Carolina continued its consistent theme of strong pitching. Alex Valentin, who got the start for the Gamecocks, restored some confidence after a tough relief outing Thursday. The junior cruised his way through Missouri’s (20-17, 3-12 SEC) lineup the first time around, not allowing a baserunner and punching out three batters.

His lone blemish on the day came when the heart of the Tigers’ order came to bat once again. Valentin struck out the first two hitters of the inning before allowing a four-pitch walk to Pierre Seals. Former South Carolina utility player Jase Woita made Valentin pay, taking a 1-2 offering over the right-field fence to make the score 3-2 at that point in the game.

That was as threatening as Missouri’s bats would be until the game’s final innings. In the eighth, a hit-by-pitch and walk by Connor Chicoli brought the tying run to the plate, but Zach Russell forced Pierre Seals to ground out to end the frame.

The bottom of the ninth brought even more danger. The Tiger scored one run apiece on an infield single by Jamal George and a double by Donovan Jordan, bringing leadoff hitter Blaize Ward to the plate with the opportunity to snatch a walk-off win. Missouri’s comeback attempt came up short, though, as Alex Philpott forced Ward to fly out to end the game.

Up next: South Carolina will return home to Founders Park with a three-game winning streak in tow when it takes on Davidson Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be available for streaming on SEC Network+.

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