Dogpiles are my FAVORITE.

Battle? Check. Win anyway? Check. Fear the fish? Check. Return to Omaha? Check.

After rain forced a postponement until this afternoon, the Gamecocks found some offense and beat Oklahoma 5-1 to win the Super Regional and advance to the College World Series.

The first five and a half innings, played Sunday night, were relatively uninteresting. Each team had a chance to get on the board in the third, but neither could capitalize.

Both starters, Colby Holmes for USC and Jonathan Gray for OU, were solid on the mound Sunday night. Holmes allowed one hit in five innings of work, Gray gave up three in six innings. The game resumed this afternoon in the bottom of the sixth inning with the Sooners at the plate.

Tyler Webb started on the mound and got a lead off strike out from Tanner Toal before getting into a bit of a jam. Caleb Bushyhead appeared to hit into a routine groundout, but Joey Pankake and Christian Walker had difficulty making the play. Erik Ross followed that with a K and Bushyhead stole second, giving the Sooners a runner in scoring position with two outs.

Max White and Matt Oberste both walked, loading the bases with two down. Cody Reine flied out to end the inning, though he made Webb work for it, and fouled off five straight pitches as part of a 10-pitch at-bat.

USC broke the scoreless tie in the top of the seventh. DH Connor Bright led off with a double and Tanner English reached on a beautiful two-strike bunt. TJ Costen, who was pinch running for Bright, came home when the ball sailed past Okalhaoma’s third baseman, and English made it to second. That made the score 1-0 in favor of the Cocks, and Chase Vergason came up to sac bunt English over to third. Pankake would later walk and English came home on a wild pitch to give Carolina a 2-0 lead.

» Continue reading “THE YARDCOCKS ARE OMAHA-BOUND!”

One of the best - on and off the field - to ever don the Garnet and Black.

The streak continues.

South Carolina has now won 20 straight postseason games dating back to 2010, and they’re also now just one win away from punching their ticket back to Omaha.

Senior pitcher Michael Roth started for the last time at Carolina Stadium, and the night couldn’t have gone much better for him. Roth threw 7 2/3 innings of shut out baseball in which he gave up only six hits and walked only two batters. He struck out three.

Roth also obviously earned the win, improving to 7-1 on the season. He received a well-deserved thunderous ovation and curtain call when he was done, and I suspect there were many less-than-dry eyes in the house (I went through a tissue or two at home).

Tyler Webb finished off the game, pitching a perfect 1 1/3 innings. He held the Sooners hitless and K’d two of the four batters he faced.

Oklahoma starter Jordan John took the loss and lasted only two innings. He gave up three runs on two hits, tallied one walk, and struck out two. His record drops to 8-8 for the year. Dillon Overton came on in relief and did a very solid job, allowing two runs on six hits. He issued no walks and struck out six Cocks.

LB Danztler had the first RBI of the night for USC.

After a scoreless first inning for both teams, USC jumped all over John in the second. Adam Matthews walked to lead off the inning, and Erik Payne singled to get Matthews all the way to third. With runners on the corners, LB Dantzler doubled to bring Matthews home and move Payne to third.

Dantzler advanced on a Tanner English strike out, and Payne scored on a wild pitch. A sac fly from Chase Vergason brought Dantzler across the plate to make it 3-0 Yardcocks.

» Continue reading “Yardcocks Blank Sooners In Roth’s Final Home Start”