South Carolina hosted the first round of the Regionals in Columbia over the weekend. The Gamecocks were seeded first. The other seeds were 2) Stetson, 3) NC State and 4) Georgia Southern.
Here’s how it went down….
Friday…Stetson beat NC State in the early game. South Carolina had its hands full in the night cap. No one told Georgia Southern that four seeds are supposed to get blown out on Friday night, so they didn’t play that way. Michael Roth did all he could to hold the Eagles down, and he did a good job of it. GSU got on the board in the third. A botched pick off move allowed a runner to go from first to third, and a single brought him in. The Gamecocks didn’t panic, and they tied the game in the fourth. Scott Wingo was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and he scored on Brady Thomas’s sac fly. In the sixth Christian Walker walked and came around to score on Adrian Morales’s RBI single. Taylor and Price came in to shut the door on the Eagles.
Saturday…In the early game NC State eliminated Georgia Southern. South Carolina faced Stetson in the late game. The buzz around the stadium was that it would take more offense than USC had the night before if they were going to beat the Hatters. Stetson got on the board in the second inning on a solo home run. The Gamecocks answered in the third. They loaded the bases and then grounded into a double play. The game was tied at 1, but it looked like USC was going to squander a golden opportunity. Morales walked to reload the bases, and Williams walked behind him to score a run. Robert Beary then deposited a 2-0 pitch over the left field wall to clear the bases. Leading 6-1, the Gamecocks cruised the rest of the way to a 11-5 win.
Sunday…The Gamecocks had to wait to know who their opponent was going to be until after the NC State – Stetson game. Stetson again prevailed, and the rematch began at 7. Evan Marzilli led off the game with a solo home run. The Hatters tied it in the bottom of the first. Robert Beary provided more offense in the third with a lead off triple and scored on Marzilli’s sac fly. The Gamecocks added another run in the fourth and the fifth. Then, in the fifth with two outs and the bases loaded, the game was stopped for a nasty storm. It didn’t resume until Monday afternoon, and when it did, the Gamecocks popped out to end the threat. In the bottom of the seventh the Gamecocks ran into trouble, and Matt Price came in to quell it. Stetson scored one and left the bases loaded. After a scoreless eighth, Carolina put the game on ice with 4 runs in the ninth. Price closed out the regionals in the bottom of the inning.
Stars of the Series…Scott Wingo…5-10…Christian Walker…5-11, RBI…Jake Williams…4 RBI…Robert Beary…5-11, 5 RBI, 2B, Grand Slam…Michael Roth…W, 7.1 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 4 K…John Taylor…3 app, W, 3 IP, 2 ER, 3 K, 3 BB…Matt Price…2 app, 2 S, 4.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 K, 2 H…
What to Take Away from the Weekend…We’re in the tournament now. The only thing that matters is winning, and going 3-0 in a home regional couldn’t be better. We move on to the next round.
This and that…South Carolina has won 17 consecutive post season games at home, including all 6 at Carolina Stadium…The Gamecocks are now 48-14 on the season…The Gamecocks have won 9 consecutive post season games….The Regionals had a total attendance of 30,575…
All-Tournament Team…Robert Beary, Christian Walker, Scott Wingo, Adrian Morales, Evan Marzilli, Michael Roth…
Up Next…South Carolina hosts Clemson in the Super Regionals. Just Kidding, Clemson got their brains beat in by UConn. The Huskies are coming to town this weekend. We’ll post dates and times when they are available.
