WATCH: Gamecock rally falls short, as Mizzou wins 5-3

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Gamecocks fell to Missouri, 5-3, to open the three-game series Friday night at Founders Park.

Noah Campbell, Jonah Bride and LT Tolbert had two hits apiece while Hunter Taylor drove in a pair of runs with a two-run home run in the eighth.

Logan Chapman was tagged with the loss, allowing two runs on two hits with five strikeouts and three walks in 4.1 innings pitched. John Gilreath struck out three in 1.2 innings of work while TJ Shook and Graham Lawson combined to strike out three. The Gamecocks struck out 12 on the night.

After a scoreless three frames, the Gamecocks struck first in the fourth. Bride doubled to the gap in left. He scored on Tolbert’s single. Missouri scored all of its runs in the fifth and sixth frames. The Tigers had four hits in the fifth, scoring three runs, two on a single from Brian Sharp. Then in the sixth, Chris Cornelius brought in a pair with a single.

Taylor belted his eighth home run of the season, a two-run blast, in the eighth. South Carolina had a base runner on in the ninth, but a strikeout ended the game.

South Carolina and Missouri will play the second game of the series Saturday afternoon (May 12) with a 4 p.m. first pitch. Saturday is Senior Day with the Gamecocks honoring its five seniors at 3:35 p.m.

USC Athletics contributed to the writing of this article.