USC prepares to host Columbia Super Regional
The Gamecocks defeated the Manhattan Jaspers and knocked off their archrivals, the Clemson Tigers, on consecutive days to earn a spot in the Super Regionals.
USC began the weekend on a high note by blanking Manhattan 7-0 on Friday night behind a stellar performance from pitcher Colby Holmes. The junior kept the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champions at bay by firing eight scoreless innings. The Jaspers did not record a hit until the eighth inning and South Carolina was never threatened. The victory over Manhattan set up an in-state showdown with Clemson, which blasted Coastal Carolina 11-3 in the regional's opening game.
With a national television audience tuned in on Saturday, the Gamecocks and Tigers played one of the most exciting games of the season, a 12-inning classic that saw South Carolina edge Clemson 5-4. USC rallied from a 4-2 deficit with runs in the eighth and ninth to force extra innings. LB Dantzler's walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th moved the Gamecocks just one win from advancing to the Super Regionals for the third straight season. Coastal Carolina eliminated Manhattan earlier in the day to force a rematch with the Tigers for a right to face South Carolina.
After watching Clemson send Coastal Carolina home, the Gamecocks finished off the regional on Sunday with a 4-3 victory over the Tigers. South Carolina jumped on Clemson earlier, scoring three runs in the first inning and providing a cushion for freshman Jordan Montgomery in his first NCAA postseason start. USC withstood a late Tiger rally to end Clemson's season and move on to the Super Regionals.
The Gamecocks cranked up their bats after only managing nine runs in the SEC tournament the previous week. South Carolina plated 16 runs in three games over the weekend and held their opponents to just seven runs. The three wins in three days also snapped the Gamecocks out of a late season swoon. Entering the regional, USC had won just two of their previous seven contests.
South Carolina has played in a Super Regional in ten of the last 13 seasons, one of only two schools in the country to achieve that mark. The Gamecocks are one of four SEC schools to advance to the Super Regionals, along with Florida, Arkansas and LSU.