South Carolina blows late lead, walks-off Alabama in ninth for Game 1 win
South Carolina delivered the dramatics Thursday night.
Watching its two-run lead evaporate with two outs and two strikes in the ninth, catcher Colin Burgess nubbed an RBI single in the bottom of the frame to give USC a 6-5 walk-off win over Alabama in Columbia.
The Gamecocks have had their struggles opening series’ in 2022. They’d dropped the first game in five of their six three-game Southeastern Conference sets entering the weekend. The lone win came at Missouri, a series South Carolina ultimately lost.
Thursday, though, the Gamecocks looked the part of a gritty team capable of a late-season run in hopes of angling toward a third NCAA Tournament bid in the last four chances.
Sweet-swinging freshman Michael Braswell had steadily watched his scorching start to the 2022 campaign slow in recent weeks. After hitting .429 through South Carolina’s first seven games, Braswell steadily dipped to .278 heading into the evening.
The Georgia native slugged his way out of that recent slump when he clubbed a solo home run into the visiting bullpen in left center field just one inning after senior Andrew Eyster hit a solo shot of his own.
Braswell added a single in the fifth inning for his first multi-hit game since a March 15 win over Gardner Webb and pushed his average up to .283 by night’s end.
Josiah Sightler delivered the early dramatics when he clobbered a 1-2 delivery from Alabama starter Garrett McMillan 440-feet, over the wrought iron fence well beyond the right field barrier separating fans from the playing surface.
South Carolina offered onlookers a night that mimicked so many recent outings of late, surrendering a two-run ninth inning lead when Alabama pinch hitter Michael Hodo slid just under a Collin Burgess tag to tie the ballgame.
Third-year righty Brett Thomas drew his second consecutive Game 1 start despite being chased in just two innings at Auburn last week.
The former top-100 recruit tossed the most complete outing of his South Carolina career, turning in a personal-best four innings pitched, allowing just one run and four hits.
Heading into Thursday, South Carolina clung onto the final spot in next month’s SEC Tournament given its series win over Ole Miss. An NCAA Tournament berth may be just out of reach at present, but adding a win over an Alabama team that D1Baseball projects in the field of 64 stands to help that cause.
The Gamecocks postseason hopes may be on life support, but night’s like Thursday offer a glimmer of hope a postseason charge may be within reach.
