Late home run from unlikely hero powers South Carolina to NCAA opener win
After chance after chance after chance, South Carolina baseball broke through in its NCAA tournament opener Friday thanks to a junior outfielder who came in late in the game.
That would be Danny Blair, not TJ Hopkins.
Blair, a light-hitting center fielder with just eight starts this season and two home runs in his college career, skied a three-run long ball late to erase a shutout, and from there, the Gamecocks never stopped, powering to an 8-3 win over Ohio State.
"He'll be remembered a long time," USC coach Mark Kingston said of Blair's momentum-shifting homer. "We talked about this week, what you do in the postseason gets remembered a lot longer. If you're hitting a homer in the regular season, people forget, but that home run, under the circumstances, will be remembered for a long time."
Kingston had said Thursday that Hopkins, typically a starter and table-setter for Carolina (34-24), might be a late substitution for the team in the East Carolina region as he recovers from an injured back.
But with the Gamecocks trailing the Buckeyes 1-0 after five innings, having failed to capitalize on three consecutive innings with runners in scoring position, Kingston instead brought in Blair to replace freshman outfielder Noah Campbell, who had struck out twice to end innings.
"Generally Danny goes in there late," Kingston said. "At that point we just wanted to have our best defense on the field, to keep the game close, and it's funny how that works out sometimes. A guy gets in there because he has a skill in one area, and then he gets a chance and hits a three-run home run."
The Buckeyes added a second run in the top of the seventh off reliever Eddy Demurias with a single, passed ball and an RBI double from freshman center fielder Dillon Dingler. In the bottom half of the frame, Ohio State brought in star closer Seth Kinker, one of the nation's best.
"His numbers (1.49 ERA, no home runs allowed) were ridiculous coming in," Kingston said. "(Assistant coach Mike Current) said the win probability when he came in at that point was probably not real high for us based on his numbers and how we were swinging the bat throughout the day."
The Gamecocks roughed him up immediately, however, with back after back-to-back leadoff singles from senior catcher Hunter Taylor and junior outfielder Jacob Olson. A sacrifice bunt from senior first baseman Matt Williams moved the runners to second and third, and Blair then lofted what appeared to be an easy fly ball to right field that just kept carrying, falling just beyond the wall at Clark-LeClair Stadium to give his team the lead.
"With two strikes, I was just looking to score the guy from third, put a ball in play, and I really didn't think it was flying too much in BP today, so when I got it up, I thought it was a sac fly, but it carried a little bit," Blair said.
The long ball seemed to jog something loose in USC's offense, as the Gamecocks immediately followed with a single, fielder's choice and two-RBI single from senior second baseman Justin Row to pad the lead.
"Anything like that, it ignites everybody. Guys not in the lineup, guys in the lineup. Once we saw one fall, it just lifts you up a little bit," Row said. "We have a great lineup, and it's bound to get going at some point."
The next inning, an RBI infield single from sophomore outfielder Carlos Cortes, a throwing error by the catcher and an RBI single to center from senior third baseman Jonah Bride added three more runs.
Carolina's late breakthrough ensured a gritty performance by the team's pitching staff did not go to waste, as Demurias and junior Graham Lawson put together five innings without an earned run. In particular, Kingston praised Demurias' effort in the the top of the fifth — coming in after starter Adam Hill, he loaded the bases with a double and intentional walk, but battled back to keep the frame scoreless.
"If it had gotten away from us at that point, you may never see the heroics late," Kingston said.
The Gamecocks advance to the winner's bracket of the regional now and will face East Carolina at 5 p.m. Saturday. The Pirates defeated North Carolina-Wilmington 16-7 on Friday night.
NEXT
Who: South Carolina (34-24, 17-13 SEC) vs. East Carolina (44-16)
When: 5 p.m. Saturday, June 2
Where: Clark-LeClair Stadium, Greenville, North Carolina
Watch: Streaming on WatchESPN
Listen: 107.5 FM in Columbia, South Carolina
Probable pitchers: South Carolina — So. RHP Cody Morris (7-3, 3.80 ERA)
This story was originally published June 1, 2018 at 5:50 PM with the headline "Late home run from unlikely hero powers South Carolina to NCAA opener win."