South Carolina rallies, holds on to edge Charlotte in midweek tilt
For the first time in nearly a month, South Carolina baseball has won back-to-back games after the Gamecocks topped Charlotte, 5-4, on Tuesday at Founders Park.
USC (20-13, 3-9 SEC) took an early lead over the 49ers (12-19-1, 3-8-1 CUSA), gave it away and then rallied, just like it did this past Saturday against Alabama. This time, however, Carolina didn’t need extra innings, despite a late scare.
The Gamecocks last won consecutive games on March 10-12.
“We had to do a lot of things to win that game. Charlotte played pretty well and I was happy with a lot of what I saw tonight,” coach Mark Kingston said. “Just good old fashioned baseball in terms of old-school execution and trying to manufacture some stuff.”
South Carolina first took the lead in the bottom of the second, as sophomore catcher Luke Berryhill and senior third baseman Jacob Olson drew back-to-back walks to lead off the frame. After a double play ball advanced Berryhill to third, he scored when freshman left fielder Brady Allen smashed a hard ground ball single through the left side of the infield.
The 49ers tied the game in the next half-inning, as freshman Dylan Harley took over for sophomore starter TJ Shook. A leadoff single and walk put runners on first and second and a sacrifice bunt advanced them on second and third. A wild pitch then plated a run
Charlotte took the lead in the next inning, as senior shortstop Tommy Bullock launched a solo home run off Harley. The 49ers extended their lead in the fifth, as a single and double, both hard hit with two outs, scored another run.
The Gamecocks came back in the bottom of the fifth, manufacturing two runs to tie things. Sophomore right fielder Andrew Eyster led things off with a single, and Allen then walked.
A sacrifice bunt moved them each up a base, and freshman DH Jonah Beamon got his first career RBI with a bloop single to left. Sophomore second baseman Noah Campbell followed with a single to center to score another run. Eyster completed the comeback with a solo home run in the sixth.
“He left one middle-out over the plate, and it was a 2-0 so I knew I was going to get something good to hit, just tried to stay through it and drive it up the middle,” Eyster said of his long ball. “It felt good after coming back last weekend and struggling.”
Campbell scored what turned out to be a crucial insurance run in seventh after he tripled to the left-center field gap and scored on a sacrifice fly from junior shortstop George Callil.
“(Campbell) hasn’t had the best luck this season for whatever reason. We keep putting him out there at the top of our lineup because he’s the best option and we just need him to do well. ... Big night for him tonight,” Kingston said.
Senior Sawyer Bridges made his first appearance in more than two weeks after struggling with injury and looked sharp, hitting 93 miles per hour on the stadium radar gun and striking out the three in a scoreless inning, leaving the mound fired up.
“I’m just happy every time I’m out there, and I love this group of guys and I’m glad we got the win. I knew, 3-3 ballgame, it was just nice not to screw up a game for us,” Bridges said, referencing his struggles early in the season.
In the ninth, freshman Wesley Sweatt gave up a two-out RBI double to put Charlotte within one run, but he rallied with a strikeout to end the game.
Next: The Gamecocks travel to Florida, opening the three-game series against the Gators on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium, televised on ESPNU.
This story was originally published April 9, 2019 at 9:47 PM with the headline "South Carolina rallies, holds on to edge Charlotte in midweek tilt."
