CHARLESTON, S.C. - Three South Carolina pitchers limited The Citadel to two hits, handing the Bulldogs a 2-0 loss before a crowd of 5,972 on Tuesday at Riley Park.

The Bulldogs managed only an infield single by Jacob Watcher leading off the third and a two-out single by Bret Hines in the eighth. The Citadel lost its sixth in a row and dropped to 14-13 on the year while the Gamecocks improved to 20-9.

Cody Mincey, the second South Carolina pitcher, entered in the fifth and allowed only the base hit by Hines while striking out a career-high seven in four innings to earn the win, evening his record at 1-1. Taylor Widener worked a perfect ninth with two strikeouts for his seventh save.

Thomas Byelick went the first four innings for The Citadel and surrendered three hits and one run with three strikeouts. The Gamecocks reached him for the only run they would need in the second when Elliott Caldwell tripled to the wall in left center and scored on a sacrifice fly by Madison Stokes.

Stokes, a freshman, is the younger brother of Bulldog senior shortstop Johnathan Stokes.

Clutch pitching and a pair of throws by Austin Mapes in left kept The Citadel in the game. South Carolina loaded the bases with one out in the third, but Byelick got Kyle Martin and Caldwell to pop out to second to end the threat.

Kevin Connell replaced Byelick in the fifth and went two perfect innings before the Bulldogs staged their biggest threat of the game without the benefit of a hit in the sixth. Jason Smith was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and advanced to third on a stolen base and passed ball but was stranded 90 feet away from tying the game.

With Bret Tompkins on the mound in the seventh, the Gamecocks loaded the bases with one out. Gene Cone lofted a fly ball to left, and Mapes gunned down pinch runner Clark Scolamiero to keep it a one-run game.

Watcher pitched the eighth and found himself in a second and third, nobody out situation when Mapes again erased a runner at the plate, nailing Jordan Gore on a fly out by Martin. However, Caldwell followed with an RBI single to plate Max Schrock and give South Carolina an insurance run.

Connor Walsh went 0 for 4 and saw his 11-game hitting streak come to an end. Smith extended his streak of reaching base to 18 games with his hit by pitch.

The Bulldogs remain at Riley Park for their first Southern Conference home series of the season against Mercer. The three-game set begins Thursday at 6 and continues on Friday at 5 and Saturday at 1.