For just the second time in 20 years, South Carolina is assured to finish below .500 in SEC play after a 6-3 loss to Georgia on Thursday night at Founders Park. The Gamecocks (31-22, 12-17) could manage only five hits with two of them coming in a too little, too late rally in the ninth.

South Carolina was completely shut down offensively by Georgia starting pitcher Andrew Gist, who entered the night with a 2-3 record and higher than 4 earned run average. He twirled eight innings of one-run baseball against the home side, which never had more than one runner on base against him in an inning.

“We couldn’t get anything going against him tonight. We couldn’t make him uncomfortable in any way, shape or form,” Holbrook said. “Sometimes you have to tip your cap to your opponent. I’d like to see us be a lot more aggressive than I saw tonight. He had us on our heels for sure, and you have to give credit to him, because he pitched a whale of a game.”

Gamecocks starting pitcher Wil Crowe, who was likely making his final appearance on the mound at Founders Park, had one rough inning giving up four runs, only three earned, on five hits.

“He gave it his all tonight, and it just didn’t happen for him in the second inning,” Holbrook said. “He kept us in the game and I was proud of the way he pitched after that. He’s a special kid and is going to do some great things in this sport.”

Gist didn’t allow his first hit until two outs in the fourth inning and didn’t allow another until junior Jonah Bride laced an RBI double to the wall in left center to score Justin Row, who walked, from second base.

The four-run second inning was the only time that Crowe allowed the Bulldogs to score. He left the game allowing eight hits and walked only one with nine strikeouts in a 122-pitch performance.

“It sucks it went this way, but I felt like I did everything I could to give us a chance,” Crowe said. “It just didn’t turn out in our favor today.”

The teams traded two spots in the ninth inning with Gamecocks lefty John Parke allowing two runs on four hits in the inning, which came to an end when Cortes and Row combined to throw out a runner at home plate. Parke allowed two runs on six hits with two strikes in a 40-pitch performance.

Junior Alex Destino hit a two-RBI double with one out in the ninth inning to give his team a slight bit of hope, but South Carolina is now 2-14 when trailing entering the seventh inning.

“I fully expect to win the series and fully expect to play our tails off tomorrow,” Holbrook said. “I fully expect Adam Hill to throw a great game. That’s what I expect, and we’ll see if it happens.”

South Carolina, barely clinging to NCAA Tournament hopes, will look to even the series on Friday at 7 p.m. on SEC Network +.