HOOVER, Ala. — James Hicks went 6 2/3 scoreless innings and Will Tippett went a career-best 3-for-4, including a three-run triple in the seventh inning, and South Carolina beat Georgia 9-0 on Tuesday in the opening game of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

The sixth-seeded Gamecocks (39-17) advanced to the double-elimination portion of the bracket against No. 3 seed LSU (42-13) at 9:30 a.m. today. The Gamecocks and Tigers split the regular-season series before Game 3 was canceled due to rain. Georgia (29-27) was eliminated.

Hicks (7-1) struck out six and allowed four hits. Hicks left the game with the bases loaded in the seventh, but Cade Austin ended the threat with a strikeout. Austin picked up his second save of the season after striking out three to help South Carolina earn its first SEC Tournament shutout in program history.

Braylen Wimmer, Talmadge LeCroy and Evan Stone each had two hits for South Carolina. Tippett finished with three RBIs and Stone added two on a single in the second to begin the scoring.

Sebastian Murillo went 3-for-3 with a walk for Georgia and Charlie Condon, the SEC’s top freshman with a

.393 batting average and 25 home runs, was 0-for-4. Starter Jaden Woods (3-3) allowed two earned runs in 12/3 innings.

It was the 450th career win for Gamecocks head coach Mark Kingston.

Texas A&M.3

Tennessee.0

Troy Wansing pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing one hit, and Texas A&M eliminated the defending champion.

Texas A&M (33-23) advanced to double-elimination bracket today against No. 2 seed Arkansas.

Evan Aschenbeck retired the side in the ninth for his third save of the season.

Tennessee (38-19) starter Seth Halvorsen (2-3) struck out six in four innings of work.

Alabama.4

Kentucky.0

Alabama’s Hunter Furtado made his second career start and threw five scoreless innings, Andrew Pinckney hit a two-run home run.

Alabama (39-17) plays top-seeded Florida today in a double-elimination game.

Furtado (1-1) allowed two hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Kade Woods and Alton Davis II each threw two scoreless innings of relief.

Ryan Waldschmidt went 2-for-2 with a walk, a hit by pitch and two steals for No. 8 seed Kentucky (36-18).

Auburn.10

Missouri.4

Cole Foster hit a three-run homer, Bryson Ware added a two-run shot and fifth-seeded Auburn wrapped up the first day of the SEC Tournament with a 10-4 win over ninth-seeded Missouri on Tuesday night.

Auburn (34-9), which has won nine-straight, moved into the double-elimination portion of the tournament and face fourth-seeded Vanderbilt in Wednesday’s late game.

Auburn had five doubles among its 11 hits. Chase Isbell (3-1) threw three scoreless innings for the win and Zach Crotchfelt went the final 2 1/3 for his first save.

Missouri (30-24) scored a run on a sacrifice fly in the second to take a 1-0 lead and scored three runs in the fourth to go up 4-3. The three runs scored on an error, a bases-loaded walk and a wild pitch.

Foster hit his home run in the bottom of the fourth after Chris Stanfield tied the game with a single. Bobby Peirce had an RBI double ahead of Ware’s homer in the eighth.

Trevor Austin and Dalton Bargo both had two hits for Missouri. Brock Lucas (3-1) , the second of six pitchers, took the loss.