COLUMBIA, Mo. (Interstat) — Brandon Stone delivered a dominant performance on the mound, and Patrick Evans provided the necessary offense with a two-run homer as the South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the Missouri Tigers 5-1 on Thursday night at Taylor Stadium.

The victory improved South Carolina to 16-19 overall, while Missouri fell to 20-15.

The story of the game was the masterful outing from Stone, South Carolina’s starting pitcher. The right-hander tossed six innings of no-hit baseball, allowing just one earned run while striking out seven. The only blemish came in the fourth inning when Missouri’s Pierre Seals tripled down the right field line and later scored on a groundout by Jase Woita. Stone walked one and hit one batter, but otherwise stifled the Tigers’ lineup completely, retiring the final seven batters he faced. This outing marked a significant rebound for Stone, who had struggled in his previous start against Georgia, allowing four earned runs without recording a hit over 4 1/3 innings.

Stone’s effort was supported early by the Gamecocks’ offense against Missouri starter Josh McDevitt. After a quiet first inning, South Carolina struck in the third. Erik Parker singled with one out, and Evans followed by launching McDevitt’s offering over the left-center field wall for his sixth home run of the season, giving the Gamecocks a 2-0 lead.

South Carolina extended its advantage with the help of two Missouri errors in the sixth inning. Tyler Bak led off with a double and later scored on an RBI groundout by KJ Scobey after an error by Missouri third baseman Keegan Knutson. Talmadge LeCroy, who reached on that error, then scored on a second error, this time by left fielder Donovan Jordan, making it 4-1.

The Gamecocks added an insurance run in the eighth without a hit. Bak walked, Jake Randolph was hit by a pitch, and after a sacrifice bunt, Bak scored on a wild pitch from reliever Eli Skidmore.

McDevitt was solid in defeat for Missouri, working seven innings and allowing five hits and three runs, only two of which were earned. He struck out eight. Seals was the lone bright spot for the Tigers’ offense, going 2 for 4 with a triple and a single, accounting for both of Missouri’s hits in the game.

After Stone departed, the South Carolina bullpen preserved the no-hitter and the win. Alex Valentin recorded two outs in the seventh before giving way to Zach Russell, who finished the game with 2 1/3 perfect innings, striking out two. Missouri’s final 11 batters were retired in order.

The most important part of the game was Stone’s six-inning no-hit bid, which established immediate control for the visiting Gamecocks. It provided a cushion for an offense that managed only five hits and set a tone that the Tigers, who entered the series with a winning record, could not overcome. His performance neutralized a Missouri team coming off a series win at Kentucky and gave South Carolina a crucial road victory to open the weekend series.

The teams will continue their three-game series on Friday.