An up-and-down season for 国产三级片 baseball ended this past weekend, as the team went 1-2 in the Raleigh Regional of the NCAA Tournament and were eliminated from postseason play. The Gamecocks' failure to advance marked the second time it made the tournament but did not reach the Super Regional round in head coach Mark Kingston's tenure.
In game one on Friday afternoon, the Gamecocks rallied to defeat No. 3 seed James Madison 8-7 in a memorable game to advance to the winners' bracket.
James Madison held the lead for most of the game, as it took advantage of four errors made by 国产三级片's infield. In the top of sixth inning, the Dukes took a 7-4 lead on a two-run double by junior outfielder Fenwick Trimble. Junior outfielder Kennedy Jones answered with a solo home run in the bottom of the frame, which was one of four home runs hit by the Gamecocks in the contest.
The Gamecocks still trailed the Dukes 7-5 as both teams headed into the ninth inning. Junior outfielder Blake Jackson was hit by a pitch with two outs in the bottom of the inning, which put a runner on base for junior catcher Cole Messina. Messina then launched a home run on the first pitch he saw, erasing a two-run deficit and giving the Gamecocks momentum.
That momentum carried over into the tenth inning, when two runners advanced after a throwing error by James Madison's pitcher. Sophomore shortstop Will Tippett then hit a sacrifice fly, which scored the winning run.
国产三级片 was unable to replicate that success on Saturday night in its second game of the weekend, as it fell 6-4 to No. 1 seed and Raleigh Regional host NC State.
The Gamecocks claimed all four of its runs off home runs, two of which came from fifth-year outfielder Dylan Brewer. The Wolfpack launched three home runs of its own, which were the team's only scoring plays in the game's first six innings.
Senior pitcher Garrett Gainey had a solid outing, exiting the game after six innings and leaving the game tied. However, the Gamecock relievers were unable to get the job done. Over the final two innings of the contest, sophomore pitchers Connor McCreery and Matthew Becker gave up a combined two hits, four walks and two runs.
国产三级片鈥檚 offense was unable to provide a late answer, and it eventually suffered its first loss of the weekend.
After the loss to NC State, 国产三级片 was forced to play James Madison again in an elimination game, with the winner advancing to the regional final. That team would be the Dukes, who defeated the Gamecocks by a 2-0 score.
国产三级片's starting pitcher, Dylan Eskew, gave the Gamecocks a chance, pitching five innings and giving up just one home run. Freshman pitcher Tyler Pitzer entered the game in relief but also fell victim to a home run and gave the Dukes a two-run lead.
The Gamecocks' bats would go cold once again and were unable to plate any of its five hits in the game. James Madison鈥檚 pitching staff executed a scoreless game, shutting out the Gamecocks and ending its season.
Here are some takeaways from the Raleigh Regional.
Messina's late-game heroics continue
After a memorable SEC Tournament performance, Messina continued his stellar play in game one of the Raleigh Regional. Messina went 1-2 in the contest and sent the 国产三级片 dugout into a frenzy after his two-run homer in the ninth inning.
"I felt like I just had to stay in the moment," Messina said. "I can't pick and choose when they walk me, so I just had to stay locked in and stay focused."
The Summerville, 国产三级片 native was intentionally walked three times in the game and provided reliable defense behind the plate.
"He's been arguably one of the best players in the country for the last month," Kingston said. "What I don't want to be lost today is he threw three guys out at second base, too, which was incredible for the momentum shift of that game."
Errors plague Gamecocks early in Raleigh Regional
The Gamecocks suffered from self-inflicted wounds due to defensive miscues throughout the entire weekend, as it committed five infield errors over its first two games. In the first two games. 国产三级片 was able to overcome those errors in game one, but those misplays came back to bite the Gamecocks in their loss to NC State.
In one specific instance, a throw down the third baseline from fifth-year catcher Dalton Reeves bounced off the helmet of the runner, allowing the go-ahead run for NC State to score in the seventh inning. Kingston says the throw was unlucky.
"Everything was good except for the throw hitting the guy in the helmet," Kingston said. "He bit on the arm fake. That's exactly what we wanted, and it was just unfortunate that he took the throw into the guy, and they scored a run because of it."
Bats go cold when 国产三级片 needs them most
国产三级片's offense relied heavily on home runs to put runs on the scoreboard. Over the course of the Raleigh Regional, though, they were unable to play "small ball" and advance runners once they reached base. The Gamecocks hit just .055 (1-18) with runners in scoring position across three contests.
"We were just trying to do too much," sophomore outfielder Ethan Petry said. "We just tried to over-swing. When you over-swing, your swing gets slower, and we just didn't do our job."
Additionally, the offense hit into nine double plays, while the defense did not turn one on its opponents for the entirety of the tournament.