USC bullpen can’t contain Texas A&M’s final rally as Aggies tie series

South Carolina bettered its mark for home runs and tied its high for runs under coach Chad Holbrook, but it wasn’t enough.

Texas A&M (42-8, 17-8 SEC), thanks in part to the wind blowing out at 20 mph, proved why it’s considered among the best hitting teams in the nation, scoring in each of the final six innings, including three in the ninth to trump the Gamecocks’ offensive output with a 15-14 victory on Saturday at Blue Bell Park.

“They are a great team and we just couldn’t put one zero up on the board from the fourth inning on, and that ultimately was the difference,” South Carolina coach Chad Holbrook said. “I don’t think they are ever out of a game with how offensive they are and how strong they, are but our kids played as hard as they could possibly play. I’ve got no problem with the way our kids play.”

South Carolina (29-22, 11-15) led or was tied for all but one inning going into the ninth and added an insurance run in the ninth when pinch-runner Patrick Harrington slid home on a passed ball.

That run was quickly erased by Hunter Melton’s second solo homer of the game and third of the series. The homer also chased Reed Scott, who earned the save Friday in the Gamecocks’ 9-7 win.

Closer Taylor Widener was summoned, and after all the damage the long balls had done, J.B. Moss looped a ball that a diving right-fielder Elliott Caldwell got a glove on but was unable to pull in.

Moss moved up 90 feet when third baseman DC Arendas ranged to his left to get Logan Nottebrok, but Widener walked pinch-hitter GR Hinsley.

“We had a chance there if we could have made the diving play in right field, maybe could have had two outs and nobody on and a chance to win the game,” Holbrook said. “We couldn’t make the play, and A&M made us pay.”

Blake Allemand followed with a double to the right-center field fence to score Moss and pinch-runner Nick Choruby.

“It could have happened to any one of our players,” Holbrook said. “Widener is one of our guys, and you are going to win or lose with your guy. He had a fresh arm and was ready go, and Reed was about done and that is why we made the decision.”

South Carolina got back-to-back homers from Caldwell and Alex Destino in the fourth to go up 5-0. Kyle Martin, who had the game-winning homer in the ninth Friday, also homered for USC.

“Definitely one of the craziest games I’ve ever been a part of,” said shortstop Marcus Mooney, who was 4 for 4. “It was a home run frenzy. After last night and after BP today, we kind of had an idea there would be quite a few home runs today, but we didn’t think that many.”

A&M second baseman Ryne Birk had two of the nine homers in the 4-hour, 10-minute game.

He went deep in the sixth to pull A&M even at 9-all and again in the eighth to close the gap to 13-12. Logan Nottebrok had the other Aggie homer, a two-run shot – like both of Birk’s – in a four-run fourth.

The Gamecocks led 2-0 after two, but it could have been more. Aggies starter Ryan Hendrix struggled with his control but got out of a first inning, bases-loaded jam when Destino grounded out on a 2-0 pitch and Hunter Taylor popped out.

The Gamecocks left 14 men on base to the Aggies’ six.

Ten pitchers took the mound, and only the Gamecocks’ Brandon Murray and the Aggies’ Blake Kopetsky, who pitched 11/3 innings combined, were not charged with a run.

Schrock, Mooney and Clark Scolamiero each had four hits for South Carolina.

“Marcus is swinging it well and DC had a big hit, Hunter Taylor today showed some promise as did Scolamiero,” Holbrook said. “We’ve had some bright spots but it’s not bright unless you win and we let a great opportunity slip away today. We didn’t lose the game. Those guys won the game, played their tails off and banged it around the park.”

This story was originally published May 9, 2015 at 10:38 PM with the headline "USC bullpen can’t contain Texas A&M’s final rally as Aggies tie series."