Gamecocks Baseball: South Carolina splits a twinbill at Arkansas

June 9, 2013; Cary, NC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks center fielder Tanner English (3) makes a running catch against the North Carolina Tarheels during the Chapel Hill Super Regional at Boshamer Stadium. The South Carolina Gamecocks won 8-0. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

The South Carolina Gamecocks failed to get any serious offense going in a doubleheader against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Friday night. And while a solid performance by Jordan Montgomery and a little late-inning magic helped them to a game one victory, they weren’t able to solve Jalen Beeks, who threw an absolute gem for the Hogs in the nightcap while the visitors hurt themselves with a pair of big erors.

Game 1: South Carolina 2, Arkansas 1
Despite surrendering the first run of the game in the bottom of the 6th, the Gamecocks were able to put up a pair in the visiting 8th to hold on for the win.

Blake Baxendale was the RBI man for Arkansas as he doubled in Brian Anderson to make it 1-0. But the team who’s had a flair for the dramatic came through again. DC Arendas doubled, followed by Tanner English’s double to tie it up. One batter later, Marcus Mooney brought English home for the eventual winning run. Joel Seddon tossed a perfect ninth with two strikeouts to pick up save number eight.

English and Mooney led the Gamecocks with matching 2-3, one RBI appearances. One player who didn’t have a hit? Joey Pankake, whose 16-game streak came to an end.

Game 2: Arkansas 4, South Carolina 1
For a team that’s put together some dramatic performances of late, their showing in game two was rather anticlimactic.

South Carolina ran into a buzzsaw in Beeks, who tossed a complete game while allowing a run (unearned) off of just four hits while walking one and striking out nine on 117 pitches. Arkansas did their damage with an Anderson RBI single in the first, added two more in the 2nd thanks in part to an inning-extending error by Joey Pankake, and a third unearned run in the 6th aided by another Pankake error.

That washed out a good showing by Jack Wynkoop. He allowed just four hits over 6.1 innings pitched while walking two and striking out four, but three of the runs on his ledger were unearned. In fact, neither team was exactly impressive defensively; the Razorbacks committed four errors to the Gamecocks’ 3.

The final game of the series is set for 7pm ET. Catch it on ESPN3 if your cable/Internet provider carries it.