As the 30th pitch of the inning left Queens right-hander Jacob Young’s hand, South Carolina’s leading hitter, Will Craddock, swung through a 1–2 pitch at the bottom of the zone. He started a slow jog toward first, but by then, he already knew his chance to be a hero was gone.
One swing could have changed the game, and there was no one better to have at the plate than Craddock. But after a night of struggles, the outcome felt the least bit surprising as the Gamecocks had been outplayed from start to finish.
Queens, which went 9-44 in 2025 and had been outscored 32-5 in three previous matchups at Founders Park, stunned South Carolina in a 9-8 win on Wednesday. It’s the Royals’ first-ever win over the Gamecocks.
“Tough one for us tonight,” head coach Paul Mainieri said. “Obviously, credit Queens a lot. They came out smoking.”
It’s the latest in a string of rough losses during Mainieri’s short time in Columbia. South Carolina (6–3) has already dropped three games to mid-major opponents, something it didn’t experience even last year, which was its worst season in program history.
It’s also not hard to imagine the Gamecocks potentially overlooking this midweek matchup with a massive series against rival Clemson upcoming this weekend. But Mainieri didn’t feel that was entirely the case — at least for him.
“I certainly didn’t (overlook Queens). I can’t speak for all the players,” Mainieri said. “… I can’t speak for the mental state of each player. I thought they were excited about playing and had a good, positive attitude and were ready to go. But things just didn’t go our way early in the game. We dug ourselves a big hole and then had some bad luck as the game went on.”
That big hole came in the early innings, largely because of some rough outings from its pitching staff. Connor Chicoli lasted just two innings, allowing three runs on five hits over 44 pitches in his second midweek start of the season.
“He was throwing strikes. He just probably threw too many strikes. He had guys down in the count and then gave up hits with 0-2 counts and things like that,” Mainieri said. “He’s got to learn to make them chase his pitch once he gets ahead in the count because he doesn’t have overpowering stuff either.”
Things unraveled further in the third inning. Parker Marlatt surrendered a three-run homer to Grayson Childers and recorded only one out before head coach Paul Mainieri pulled him during the middle of an ensuing at-bat. The usually reliable right-hander now owns a 23.14 ERA through three appearances in what’s been a jarring start to his season.
“He’s doing as well as he can,” Mainieri said of Marlatt’s struggles. “I mean, they were hitting some pitches. He’s not overpowering. He doesn’t have great stuff. He throws strikes, and sometimes they hit it.”
Patrick Dudley temporarily stopped the bleeding, tossing 2.2 strong innings in relief after Marlatt’s exit. The freshman left-hander didn’t allow a hit, striking out three and walking one.
The Gamecocks also struggled to generate consistent offense against Queens right-hander Adrian Quezada, who entered Wednesday’s start with a 10.80 ERA. Despite those early-season struggles, he delivered six innings, allowing three runs on eight hits while striking out four and walking two.
South Carolina eventually got itself going after battling back against the Royals’ bullpen in the late innings. Aaron Jamison blasted a solo home run in the seventh. Then, in the ninth, down to its last strike, Tyler Bak made it a one-run game with a two-run shot into right field.
But when Craddock struck out, the four-run rally was over in the blink of an eye. It’s a big blow, only nine games into the season. All Mainieri hopes for now is that this will be the weekend that things magically come together before getting any worse.
“It’s a long season, and we’ve just got to keep getting better,” he said. “There’s obviously areas that we need to improve in and get more consistent in, and we’re going to keep working at it. This weekend would be a good time to kind of put it all together.”
Up next: South Carolina begins a three-game series with No. 15 Clemson on Friday at Founders Park. First pitch will be at 7 p.m. on SEC Network+.