Desperately needed: Wynkoop’s complete game helps Gamecocks tie series vs. Vandy

South Carolina baseball coach Chad Holbrook stated after Thursday night’s blowout loss to Vanderbilt that he needed a player to step up and give a heroic performance.

USC junior left-hander Jack Wynkoop delivered Friday night in a 5-2 win against Vandy at Carolina Stadium that snapped the Gamecocks’ five-game losing streak.

“It was an incredible performance by Wynkoop in probably our most important and biggest win of the year thus far,” Holbrook said.

Wynkoop, who allowed two runs on 10 hits and one walk, threw 131 pitches for the first complete game of his career. He struck out a career-high 12 hitters and won for the first time since March 14 against Kentucky. Wynkoop (5-4) outdueled Vanderbilt right-hander Walker Buehler (3-1), who allowed three runs over 6 1/3 innings.

Wynkoop understood the significance of halting the SEC skid, when the Gamecocks were outscored 50-10 in their past four conference losses. He didn’t know his pitch count, but he was determined to finish the game.

“I didn’t put any extra pressure on myself,” Wynkoop said. “I just went out there and tried to put our team in a position to win. Thankfully, the defense played great tonight and we were swinging the bat. It all came together.”

South Carolina (24-16, 7-10 SEC) and No. 5 Vanderbilt (29-11, 12-5), which leads the Eastern Division, will face off in a rubber game Saturday at 1 p.m.

USC junior third baseman DC Arendas started the big win with a two-run homer in the third inning off Buehler, who is projected as a first-round pick in this year’s MLB draft.

“We had a lot of energy tonight, and it’s something we’ve got to consistently do more,” Arendas said. “If we can continue to do that, it will help us as we go forward. Hopefully, this can get the ball rolling for us. But at the same time, we’ve got to realize it’s just one game. We didn’t win the series, and we’ve got a big game tomorrow.”

Wynkoop agreed; the team knows it needs to capitalize on this win.

“Tomorrow’s a big day. We’re trying to win the series, and we’re playing at home,” Wynkoop said. “Hopefully, this can be a turning point in our season.”

The Gamecocks, who also collected 10 hits on the night, took a 4-2 lead in the seventh by scoring two runs without the benefit of a hit. Three Vanderbilt pitchers combined to walk four straight batters for one run, and Kyle Martin delivered the other score with a sacrifice fly – his team-leading 40th RBI. They added the final run in the eighth on Gene Cone’s sacrifice fly after three hits loaded the bases.

“One through nine, our lineup did a really good job with plate approach,” Arendas said. “We talked a little bit with coach (Brian) Buscher about taking away a pitch from their guy. They’re very talented pitchers, so we just tried to take away the fastball tonight.”

The Commodores got to Wynkoop with two outs in the seventh inning. Tyler Campbell singled, and Ro Coleman lined a double down the left-field line to put runners on second and third. Rhett Wiseman blooped a two-run single into center to tie the game at 2.

The Gamecocks broke through first in the third inning, when Cone laced a one-out single and stole second base before Arendas followed with a line shot that carried into the left-field seats for a 2-0 lead.

“We played some great baseball tonight, and we were into every pitch. If we can just bottle that, it doesn’t guarantee you’re going to win, but I love the way my team played tonight,” Holbrook said.

Frustrated over a slump that saw 13 losses in 19 games before this win, Holbrook knew his team had lost its way. He called this win a special one.

“Let’s keep it in perspective. We’ve still got incredible hurdles in front of us trying to solidify ourselves from a starting-pitcher standpoint on the weekend,” he said. “We’re still a work in progress, but I loved our toughness today and I loved our emotion and I loved our passion. Win, lose or draw, ahead or behind, if we can play like that, at the end of the season, I’ll be a happy coach.”

This story was originally published April 17, 2015 at 11:30 PM with the headline "Desperately needed: Wynkoop’s complete game helps Gamecocks tie series vs. Vandy."