Brilliant relief stint by Price keys win
After falling 6-4 on Saturday following a 3-1 win in game one, the Gamecocks overcame an early deficit on Sunday with a four-run rally in the seventh. They proceeded to hold off the Commodores from there, behind the arm of Matt Price, clinching the series with a 5-3 victory.
"For the third day in a row, it was a great college baseball game with two pretty good teams going at each other," said coach Ray Tanner. "I'm extremely proud of our players for battling when we couldn't get anything going. We sort of just willed our way to trying to be successful today."
The rally was sparked by Steven Neff, a regular left-handed pitcher who had his first at-bat of the season just one day earlier. Trailing 3-1, Neff slapped the first pitch of the inning into the right-field corner for a double, marking the first hit of his college career and just the fifth hit of the day for Carolina.
"It was a close game, and being a lead-off [hitter], you need to try to get on base," Neff said. "I was just trying to make contact. He threw a pitch right down the middle and I took advantage of it."
Following a Peter Mooney walk, Robert Beary managed to lay a bunt down the third-base line that was too much for Vanderbilt pitcher Will Clinard to handle, loading the bases for pinch-hitter Greg Brodzinski. With a 1-1 count, Clinard hit Brodzinski in the arm, allowing Neff to trot in from third and keep the bases full for Jackie Bradley Jr.
Bradley — who moved from batting third to first in the lineup after going 1-9 in games one and two — added his second hit of the day with a single to center that dropped just in front of VU outfielder Connor Harrell's glove, scoring Mooney from third to tie the game at 3-3.
Scott Wingo completed the comeback moments later with an RBI groundout to second base, and Brady Thomas added one more with a sacrifice fly to center, giving Carolina a two-run advantage going to the eighth.
"I told the players I was proud of them, and I would have said that had we lost today," Tanner said. "They do what they can to win. They fight, scratch, claw and show up and go. That's really all you can ask of your players. We're fortunate."
With the momentum behind them, the Gamecocks' hopes of securing the win fell on the shoulders of Price — who relieved starter Forrest Koumas in the sixth after back-to-back home runs from Aaron Westlake and Jason Esposito. Slated to face the two sluggers to start the eighth, Price managed to strike out both then proceeded to punch out Mike Yastrzemski to retire the Commodores in order.
In the bottom half of the inning, however, Price found himself in the ninth spot in the lineup and forced to make an at-bat in order to remain in the game.
"I was concerned," Tanner said. "I had to point my finger at him in the dugout and said, 'Whatever you do, don't you dare swing that bat.' He did hit 20 home runs his senior year of high school, but he hadn't been using those muscles that you have to use to swing the bat."
Stepping to the plate with one out and a runner at second, Price managed to foul one pitch away, but struck out moments later.
"After the first strike, he gave me the look that said, 'I'm getting ready to swing this thing,'" Tanner said. "I tried to get him to take a little swing, not a big one."
The ninth wouldn't prove to be as easy as the previous inning, as the Commodores proceeded to get a pair of runners on base with one out. Price struck out Harrell for out number two, but allowed the runners to advance with a wild pitch against outfielder Tony Kemp. The preseason All-American settled down, however, and with the 8,242 in attendance on their feet, managed to catch Kemp looking at strike three to shut down the rally and clinch the series.
"I think it was a combination of the battle that we had and our fans today," Tanner said. "It helped us create a rally there late and it's very important for our environment here at home. I'm grateful for that and I'm really proud of my players to come back today."