Charlotte — There was some frustration all night, but it all went away with one shot.
South Carolina Baseball started a midweek game against No. 13 North Carolina State with eight strikeouts in its first nine at-bats with runners in scoring position and tied the game at 1-1 in the eighth inning.but dylan brewer hit an RBI double into the gap to give the Shamcocks a 2-1 lead and preserve a 2-1 victory at Turist Field.
The University of South Carolina (23-10) pitched well thanks to a great team effort. Dylan Eskew, Roman Kimball, Parker Marlatt and Connor McCreary. Kimball in particular is a very positive development. mark kingston's After transferring to Notre Dame, the team had strong results for two consecutive years.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, with runners on second and first base and only one out, he received the baton from Eskew. But then after a bounced ball to shortstop, he returned to the dugout and was cruising along nicely after inducing his third double play of the inning. The pitcher, who has had command issues throughout the year, had a near-perfect record in that department, walking just one of the eight batters he faced, leading North Carolina State (26-7) to a near-perfect record in that department. He had five strikeouts, including an electric fifth inning in which he whiffed all three batters.
But those strikeouts went both ways. South Carolina's offense punched out 16 more times, a theme that continued throughout the season with runners in scoring position. The Gumcocks put two runners on base in the second inning, loaded the bases in the third inning, hit their first double in the fifth inning, and hit a leadoff double in the sixth, but all but one at-bat resulted in a strikeout. finished.
In fact, the only time the ball ended up in play came courtesy of Gavin Casas in the third inning, when his bases-loaded roller throw to first base was too weak and turned into a double play. . Ethan Petrie At the fielder's choice.
In the end, the missed opportunity bit back when the North Carolina batter completed the ninth hole. Colby Wilkerson In the seventh inning, he hit a game-tying RBI double from Marlatt. But McCreary jogged out of the bullpen and slammed the door in his first game against a Power 5 opponent since giving up four runs in 1 2/3 innings against Ole Miss.
With seven outs, four strikeouts, and only one hit allowed, it was his best game in college to date. It followed the Brewers' offensive heroics in the eighth inning, which was enough to seal a key midweek victory for the University of South Carolina's return to the tournament.
South Carolina returns to SEC action this weekend for a three-game series at Florida State starting Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
************************************************* * *************************
Want 2 months free of your Rivals subscription? Refer a friend and get 50% off your first year and 2 months free for you. And what's even better? You can do it as many times as you want. Just use your custom referral link on your subscription page (linked above).