CHARLOTTE — Crowd loyalties were equally divided in the little jewel of a downtown ballpark, with South Carolina garnet stretching down the first-base line, and North Carolina blue extending down the third. If only the numbers on the scoreboard had been as even.
A marquee non-conference matchup turned into the poorest effort this season for the fifth-ranked Gamecocks, who were helpless to slow No. 14 North Carolina in a stunning 15-0 loss before a capacity crowd of 10,205 at BB&T Ballpark.
“I’m sick to my stomach,” said USC head coach Chad Holbrook. “I apologize to our fans who bought tickets and showed up in earnest and were probably chomping at the bit for something good to happen, and we couldn’t give them anything to cheer about.