:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/31009759/20130609_lbm_bk1_131.0.jpg)
I'm going to be frank: this game was a snoozer. That is, it was a snoozer until the man, the myth, the legend, Grayson Greiner, entered in the bottom of the ninth to pinch hit. He got himself a full count, then smacked an RBI single for a walkoff win. Yes. You read that right. This is really a thing that happened.
Before all that, the Mountaineers threatened in the first inning, but left two runners stranded. Both offenses were silent until the fourth inning, when Joey Pankake singled and came home on an RBI single from Connor Bright to make it 1-0 in favor of the Gamecocks.
Appalachian State tied things up in the sixth, though. With two outs, Preston Troutman got plunked, then made it home thanks to Jaylin Davis, knotting the score at 1-1.
Each squad got a couple of hits after that, but no more runs came in until the ninth, when Bright led off with a single, pinch hitter Jordan Gore contributed a sac bunt, and Greiner worked his magic. Greiner wasn't in the game because of his sore thumb, but apparently he was okay enough to play hero again. I'm not really sure why they didn't pitch around him, to be honest, but I'm not complaining.
Carolina starter Evan Beal had an impressive outing, as he worked 5.1 innings and gave up two hits, no runs, walked no batters, and struck out three. He also retired 15 straight batters before his night ended. Josh Reagan, Taylor Widener, and Vince Fiori went the rest of the way for the Gamecocks. Fiori earned the win and is now 1-0 on the season.
Pankake also extended his hitting streak to 16 games (that's really good).
Speaking of hitting, a win is a win of course, and that's great, but the overall lack of offense is a wee bit troubling. USC scored a decent amount of runs against Tennessee this weekend, but they've been somewhat lacking in the production department overall, and despite solid pitching and good defense, it wouldn't hurt to bolster the bats a little bit.
South Carolina improves to 24-3, while Appalachian State drops to 8-17. The Gamecocks will return to action on Thursday, when they travel to Fayetteville to begin a series against the Razorbacks. First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on ESPNU.