South Carolina battles back, but Aggies get last laugh with walk-off finish

The situation was set up perfectly for somebody to be the hero. It wouldn’t have taken much. Just something simple would’ve done the trick.

After battling back from an early deficit to tie the game in the later innings on Thursday, South Carolina was in a great spot in the ninth. Nathan Hall, who had just singled, went from first to third on an errant pickoff throw that went down the right field line. With only one out and the Gamecocks’ best hitter coming up, momentum seemed to fully swing in their favor.

But then, the worst thing that could’ve happened happened. Ethan Petry, who had already homered earlier in the night, flailed at a 1-2 pitch for a strikeout. Two down. After Jordan Carrion walked to put runners on the corners, Beau Hollins, who had also homered, struck out as well. Rally over.

Three more strikeouts came in the top of the tenth. Caden Sorrell crushed a first-pitch fastball from Brendan Sweeney and sent it over the left field wall. Just when it looked like South Carolina was about to finish off a great comeback victory, wasted opportunities allowed Texas A&M to win 8-7 on Sorrell’s walk-off blast.

“It’s a tough loss,” head coach Paul Mainieri told GamecockCentral. “We had our chances, but we dug ourselves a hole with walks. Just had too many walks tonight. Outside of that, we pitched really well, except for the walks.”

Walks have been and still are a big issue for the pitching staff after the series opener. Jake McCoy, who gave up six runs on four hits in his start, walked five and plunked two more on hit-by-pitches. The rest of the bullpen only walked one batter.

Perhaps the more prevalent problem in the game was the consistent strikeouts at the plate. The Gamecocks (20-15, 2-11 SEC) struck out 16 times and only walked once. While they scored seven runs on 11 hits and hit three home runs, there were chances to do more.

The offense went 2-for-9 (.222) with runners in scoring position and 3-for-13 (.231) with two outs. It left six runners stranded on base, no more critical than Hall being left on third in the ninth.

“We had chances. Runner at third base, less than two outs. The best player up strikes out, and then another strikeout by the four-hole hitter,” Mainieri said. “You’ve got to put the ball in play to have a chance. We couldn’t do that there.”

As the Gamecocks climbed back to tie the game, thanks to a pinch-hit RBI single by Jase Woita in the eighth, the bullpen played a key role in keeping the Aggies in check.

Once McCoy exited in the fourth, the Gamecocks only gave up two more runs the rest of the way. Parker Marlatt allowed one of those runs in 1.2 innings of relief. After that, Ashton Crowther retired all seven batters he faced, while Caleb Jones and Brendan Sweeney each fired scoreless innings to send the game to extras.

“I thought the bullpen was terrific tonight. Marlatt, Crowther, Jones and Sweeney were all tremendous,” Mainieri said. “… Everybody pitched great, except our starting pitcher walked four batters in a row and gave up a five-run inning. And because of it, it’s a lot to overcome. We did, and then we got the game tied. We just couldn’t come through after that and take the lead.”

In the end, though, it was one mistake that made the difference. Sweeney pitched well before giving up the game-winning hit. Mainieri just wishes he could’ve given the ball to his go-to closer with a lead. But as has been the case, this loss becomes the latest in a season where the hole keeps getting deeper and deeper.

Up next: South Carolina will look to even the series up in the middle game of the series on Friday. First pitch is at 7 p.m. on SEC Network Plus. Matthew Becker (2-2, 6.19 ERA) will get the start on the mound.

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