USC alumni defeat Blowfish 7-4 to claim GameFish Cup

It seemed like old times for the South Carolina baseball alumni.

Aaron Rawl started and was still bringing the heat in the mid-80s. Hunter Privette supplied three innings of solid relief, and John Taylor and Matt Price closed things out as the Gamecock legends won the annual GameFish Cup with a 7-4 victory against the Lexington County Blowfish on Friday night in front of a standing room only crowd of 3,067 fans. It was the largest crowd for the Blowfish in their first season at the Lexington County Baseball Stadium.

The win brought the all-time series to 5-4 in favor of the Blowfish, but the reunion was more important than winning for the USC Alumni.

“Once again, a time for us to strap the uniforms on and compete one day a year,” USC Alumni manager Trey Dyson said. “The most fun about this is the camaraderie. Anyone that has played baseball at a high level will tell you, the thing they miss the most is being in the locker room. You get us back in the locker room, and even though we haven’t seen each other in a while, it’s just like the old days and we haven’t missed a beat. It’s fun to see everybody.”

The Blowfish treated the game like an exhibition. They were rained out Wednesday and Thursday, so coach Jonathan Johnson used this as an opportunity to get several pitchers work and play guys in positions they don’t normally play.

It showed as the Blowfish committed five errors that led five unearned runs for the Gamecocks.

South Carolina struck for a run in the second when Bryan Triplett doubled and later scored on a two-out throwing error. Triplett added an RBI double in the seventh to close the scoring.

The Alumni added four runs in the fourth on one hit thanks to three infield errors. Kyle Enders and Garris Gonce had RBIs in the frame. Enders added another RBI in the seventh.

But the outcome was secondary. Adam Matthews, who played at White Knoll before playing on the Gamecocks’ two National Championship teams, has been out of professional baseball for two years. He welcomed the opportunity to again play in a USC uniform.

“They’re some guys here that I played with and some that I haven’t played with,” he said. “Getting together like this and having the opportunity to come out was enjoyable. Being from this area, I know there’s a bunch of baseball fans in Lexington. It’s nice to get out and play in front of them again.”

Price, who earned the save by pitching the final 12/3 innings, was equally grateful to play in this game for the first time. Price was released by the Baltimore Orioles in March, and he’s hoping to get a call and continue his career.

“It’s awesome to come out here and see some familiar faces like Adam Matthews, Adam Westmoreland and John Taylor,” Price said. “In fact, Taylor and I have been working with the grounds crew. It’s was fun to get out here and play with these guys again. It felt like old times.”

South Carolina coach Chad Holbrook also was on-hand. After having a disastrous pinch-hitting performance in this game last season, he was thankful not to be called on this year.

“It’s really neat to not only see all the players and to see all the fun they have, it’s awesome being out here in front of a sold out crowd,” Holbrook said. “It shows how much people love and care about South Carolina baseball. That’s the most special thing I will take away from tonight.”

Outside of the baseball and fellowship, the turnout was for a charitable cause. Each year, the alumni game benefits an organization or family in need.

This year, Dyson said the money raised will go to the family of Walker Phillips, a youngster who suffers from Voltage-gated Potassium Channel-complex Antibody-associated Limbic Encephalitis (VGKC-LE), a disease that affects the brain and causes frequent seizures.

Dyson was a teammate of Phillips’ father, Andy Phillips, on the Wilmington Sharks of the Coastal Plain League in 2000. Phillips played at The Citadel.

“Andy Phillips and I played together in Wilmington, and I ran into him in church and found out about his son,” Dyson said. “This kid is having a heck of a time, so we’re trying to make everyone aware of the issue, and, hopefully, we’ll raise some money for him while we have a good time.”

This story was originally published July 3, 2015 at 11:07 PM.