Some things just aren't meant to be.
That statement is certainly true when it comes to the South Carolina baseball team attempting to build momentum in Hoover at the SEC tournament. The slide continued Thursday, as the Gamecocks fell 4-1 to Texas A&M, marking their eighth straight loss in Hoover and eliminating them from the tournament.
Coach Chad Holbrook sent freshman Braden Webb to the hill, who came into the game trailing only teammate Clarke Schmidt in strikeouts among SEC pitchers. Webb fanned eight Aggies, but his second inning struggles would prove to be enough to give the nation's No. 2 team the win.
Webb walked Ryne Birk on four pitches to open the inning before throwing a wild pitch that would advance Birk to second. After a flyout, the bottom of the A&M lineup woke up, squeezing a double in between a pair of singles, quickly giving the Aggies a 3-0 lead.
It wouldn't take the Gamecocks long to start cutting into the lead. Gene Cone drew a one-out walk before Marcus Mooney hit a single, which was misplayed by right fielder Nick Banks, allowing Cone to score from first. The threat continued after Dom Thompson-Williams reached on an error, putting runners on second and third for Jonah Bride. South Carolina's unlucky streak continued as first baseman Hunter Melton made a diving play to stop Bride's hard grounder before flipping the ball to the pitcher at first to end the inning.
The theme of leaving runners on base would carry throughout the game. The SEC East champs left five runners in scoring position, failing to score a runner from second with one out in the sixth and seventh innings. In the sixth, Bride and Madison Stokes hit consecutive one-out singles, prompting Holbrook to send TJ Hopkins to the plate to pinch hit for John Jones. Hopkins skied the first pitch to right for a flyout before Chris Cullen grounded out to end the inning.
The Aggies were able to capitalize on a South Carolina mistake to add insurance in the ninth when reliever Josh Reagan's pickoff attempt got by Stokes at first, allowing Jonathan Moroney to get around to third. Moroney would score on Austin Homan's single, putting A&M up 4-1.
Once considered a lock for a national seed, the Gamecocks can only sit and wait, hoping they will be selected as one of the nation's top eight teams. The NCAA tournament bracket will be released at noon on Monday, and while Columbia will almost certainly host a regional, Holbrook's club can only hope that the Palmetto State's capital will have the potential to host a super regional.