USC to face UConn in Columbia Super Regional
It took longer than it would’ve liked, but for the second straight year, South Carolina is heading to the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament.
After opening the weekend with back-to-back wins, the Gamecocks overcame a severe weather delay and a seventh-inning, bases-loaded rally to top Stetson 8-2 en route to their ninth Regional Championship since 2000.
“They were a very difficult opponent,” USC coach Ray Tanner said. “They were tough to get out. That seventh inning, they put together so many quality at-bats. Escaping with only one run from that inning was the difference in the game for me.”
The defending national champions didn’t waste any time getting started on the offensive end of the Regional’s deciding victory. Playing as the away team, Carolina jumped out to an early 1-0 lead behind a solo home run from Evan Marzilli on the second pitch of the game. The sophomore would manage to drive in another run on a sacrifice fly in the third, regaining the advantage for the Gamecocks after a one-run first inning for Stetson.
After adding two more, USC appeared to be on the verge of taking a commanding lead when Robert Beary made his way to the plate with the bases loaded in the top of the fifth. As the eventual Regional MVP stepped into the batter’s box, however, the umpires signaled for the game to be stopped after receiving word of an approaching storm.
For the better part of the next hour, heavy rain and wind whipped through Carolina Stadium, blowing the tarp across the infield and knocking the power out in the surrounding area. With no lights to play under and debris littering the field, the game was suspended until 1 p.m. the following day, leaving Beary with 16 hours to ponder over a potentially game-changing at-bat.
“It was funny because I was kind of wired [Sunday night], so I took a couple Tylenol PMs, and every time you take one of those drowsy pills, you dream a little,” Beary said. “I actually had a dream that I hit a ball off the rail, and they gave me a ground-rule double like they did to [first baseman Christian Walker] earlier in the year, so that was actually kind of funny.”
That dream wouldn’t come to pass, however. Restarting play Monday afternoon, Beary hit a pop fly behind the plate, putting an abrupt end to the rally and keeping Stetson’s hopes alive.
Two innings later, the Hatters began to string together a rally, loading the bases after right-hander John Taylor allowed a one-out walk. In danger of losing the three-run advantage, the Gamecocks went to closer Matt Price, a hero in a similar scenario during last year’s postseason run.
Stetson infielder Robert Crews managed to bring in one run after reaching base on a throwing error by Adrian Morales, but despite a pair of battles in the next two at-bats that saw Ben Carhart and Nick Rickles continuously foul off pitches, Price escaped the inning with the lead still intact.
“Without a doubt, they would not miss,” Tanner said. “[Price] would make a good pitch and they would foul it off, and so many times when hitters continue to foul pitches off, they win battles. Fortunately, he’s been in that circumstance many times in his career here. I hate to put him in those situations all the time, but that’s what he’s accustomed to, and it was a tremendous inning for us.”
With the threat neutralized, Carolina proceeded to put the Hatters away for good with a four-run ninth inning, capped off with another big swing from Beary. Following an RBI sacrifice fly and single from Jake Williams and Peter Mooney, respectively, Beary launched a pitch to deep left-center field that Spencer Theisen couldn’t manage to hold onto, allowing two more runs to score to secure the 8-2 victory.
In spite of the productive weekend that included a 2-1 win over Georgia Southern and an 11-5 win over Stetson in their first two games, the Gamecocks’ sights remain set on a higher prize than a Regional title.
“I mean, it is big,” Price said, “but at the same time, we’re just trying to win and keep winning and try to get to that main goal at the end.”