WATCH: Gamecocks power past The Citadel, 12-1

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CHARLESTON, S.C. – Jacob Olson knocked in a career best five runs and Carmen Mlodzinski pitched five strong innings as the University of South Carolina baseball team defeated The Citadel, 12-1, Tuesday night (April 10) at Joe Riley Park.

Olson was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and the five RBI, while Chris Cullen had three hits and two runs scored. Carlos Cortes, Madison Stokes and Riley Hogan had two hits apiece as the Carolina offense belted out 13 hits on the night.

Mlodzinski had career highs in innings pitched and strikeouts (5), allowing just two hits in the outing. Parker Coyne, Graham Lawson and Corey Stone finished out the game with Lawson striking out a pair of Bulldogs.

Carolina opened the scoring in the third as Cortes singled to right to score Olson. LT Tolbert brought in Cullen on a groundout, giving the Gamecocks a 2-0 lead. Carolina added two more runs in the fourth as Olson belted a two-run home run to left, his team-leading ninth of the season.

The two teams traded runs in the sixth as Stokes hit his sixth home run of the year in his first start since March 24. The Gamecocks exploded for seven runs in the seventh, the most runs in an inning by Carolina this season. Olson had the big hit in the frame, a bases-clearing double to the gap in left.

Kentucky then scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth, three from a Luke Heyer home run. South Carolina plated two in the top of the seventh on RBI’s from Williams and Jacob Olson. Kentucky ended the scoring with a run in the bottom of the eighth.

South Carolina heads to Fayetteville, Ark., and the University of Arkansas for a three-game series beginning Thursday night (April 12) at 6 p.m. CDT (7 p.m. EDT).

USC Athletics contributed to the writing of this article.

VIDEO COURTESY: WCIV