The last time South Carolina played Arkansas in the NCAA postseason, this happened
South Carolina and Arkansas are back playing each other on the NCAA tournament stage for the first time since the 2012 College World Series.
The 2018 Fayetteville Super Regional has high stakes, but it won't match what was on the line six years ago when the likes of Joey Pankake, Christian Walker, Grayson Greiner and Jordan Montgomery pushed the Gamecocks to the CWS finals for a third straight season.
After opening in Omaha with a 7-3 win over Florida, USC fell 2-1 to the Razorbacks. The loss moved Ray Tanner's club to the brink of elimination and snapped Carolina's NCAA record 22-game postseason winning streak.
"It was a great run," Tanner said afterward. "These guys, some are still here, and the guys that had come before, it's one of those things that you don't know if it could happen or if it will ever happen again. It's been a pretty good run. I'm proud of what these guys did and how they battled.
"But Arkansas tonight was a better team. They won, and they advanced."
South Carolina rebounded three days later by eliminating Kent State. The win set up a rematch with the Razorbacks. The Gamecocks would have to beat them twice to advance to the best-of-three championship series.
On June 21, hours after topping the Golden Flashes, Carolina got eight shutout innings from Montgomery – then a freshman – to secure a 2-0 win over Arkansas. In doing so, South Carolina became the third team in the 63-year history of the CWS to win two full games on the same day.
It was Montgomery's first appearance in 18 days.
"They needed a man," Montgomery said at the time. "I just stepped up when I needed to."
Carolina got down 2-0 after two innings the following night, but rallied for a 3-2 win. Adam Matthews, batting for the third time with the bases loaded, drew a walk in the seventh, bringing Pankake home for the go-ahead run.
Matt Price, who worked a scoreless final three innings, earned his fifth CWS win, most in history.
"Obviously that game could have gone either way," Tanner said. "That was one of those typical SEC battles on this stage."
Tanner would never win another game as Carolina coach. The Gamecocks were then swept in the finals by Arizona, denying them the chance to become the first three-peat champion since Southern Cal in the early 1970s.
Tanner was named USC athletics director on July 13, 2012.
South Carolina lineup from last NCAA tournament game vs. Arkansas (June 22, 2012, College World Series)
Joey Pankake - SS
Evan Marzilli - CF
Christian Walker - 1B
LB Dantzler - 3B
Adam Matthews - RF
Kyle Martin - DH
Tanner English - LF
Grayson Greiner - C
Chase Vergason - 2B
Colby Holmes - P
This story was originally published June 6, 2018 at 5:40 PM with the headline "The last time South Carolina played Arkansas in the NCAA postseason, this happened."