South Carolina walks off Missouri again, sweeps series
South Carolina started Saturday’s game against Missouri with just one hit in its first seven at-bats with runners on base.
But when it mattered most, the Gamecocks came through. South Carolina used a game-tying Ethan Petry home run in the eighth followed by a Petry single in the 12th to secure yet another dramatic win to sweep Missouri, 5-4 in 12 innings.
The Gamecocks are now off to a 6-0 start in SEC play after another instant classic of a game. It’s their best start in the league since 2016 when they won the East that season.
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But it didn’t look like it was going to be South Carolina’s night for long portions after taking the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
The Gamecocks struggled with runners on base most of the night, while Missouri started with three knocks in its first eight at-bats with runners on base to jump out to a 4-2 lead.
The Tigers chased starter Jack Mahoney after just 4.1 innings, just the second time this season he hasn’t gone at least five innings.
Mahoney, after a terrific first few innings, hit a wall in the fifth. He’d give up three straight hits to start the inning, including an RBI double, then a game-tying sacrifice fly.
Missouri took the lead the following inning with a RBI double and groundout and would hold that until Petry’s heroics in the eighth.
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South Carolina forced extras but almost ended things in regulation with Braylen Wimmer just missing a game-winning home run with two outs in the ninth inning.
It was the story of two different pitching staffs with the Gamecocks trotting out productive arm after productive arm out of the bullpen while Missouri–dealing with injuries–couldn’t go pitch for pitch the same way South Carolina could.
Five relievers out of South Carolina’s bullpen combined to allow just two runs (one earned) over 7.1 innings with six strikeouts to three walks.
The biggest moment came, though, in the 10th when Matthew Becker inherited a two-on, no-out jam and pitched out of it in just five pitches unscathed.
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Becker would strike out the side again in the 11th inning, pitching around a two-out single.
He’d finish pitching three shutout innings, striking out five and pitching around two hits and a walk. That set up South Carolina’s 12th inning, which started with a Will Tippett walk and ultimately led to Petry’s bases-loaded single to win it.
Up next: South Carolina is back in action Tuesday night at The Citadel with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN Plus.
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