And then both proceeded to put a great deal of zeros on the TD Ameritrade Park scoreboard – that is, until Scott Wingo walked his Gamecocks off once again.
The senior second baseman's bases-loaded hit over a Texas A&M outfield at shallow depth and off the right field wall brought home Robert Beary in the bottom of the ninth, giving USC a 5-4 win over the Aggies in its opening game of the 2011 College World Series.
USC, the defending national champion, advances to the winner's bracket, where it will face the top overall national seed, Virginia, on Tuesday. Texas A&M will face California in an elimination game Tuesday.
Wingo's line drive, which came with no outs, was the latest in several game-winning hits the Mauldin native has compiled this season. It broke what had been almost eight consecutive innings of scoreless play between the two teams after a wild and ugly first inning of play.
A&M struck first against USC ace Michael Roth, plating four unearned runs in the first after a Christian Walker error allowed the leadoff hitter to reach base. However, the Gamecocks didn't blink, adding four runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame, with a key Aggie throwing error serving as the turning point.
The win is USC's first in a CWS opener in its last eight tries. The Gamecocks will face UVA at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.