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After making it to the SEC Tournament against pretty much all odds, South Carolina lasted just one game in Hoover, as they allowed LSU to rally late for a win.
The Tigers got on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a leadoff home run by Josh Smith. The lead was shortlived though, as the Gamecocks answered by scoring several runs in the next inning. Brady Allen singled with one out, George Callil reached on an error, and Chris Cullen brought them both home with a two-run double, putting USC up 2-1. Noah Campbell then got hit by a pitch, and with two outs, Andrew Eyster knocked an RBI single to score Cullen and make it a 3-1 game. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, and Luke Berryhill came through with a two-run single to make the score 5-1.
LSU got two runs back in the bottom of the inning on a base hit from Cade Beloso, making it a 5-3 game. The Tigers regained the lead in the fourth inning on a pair of RBI singles from Smith and Daniel Cabrera and a wild pitch, putting them on top 6-5.
The final two LSU runs came in the next inning thanks to RBI singles from Antoine Duplantis and Beloso, giving the Tigers and8-5 lead. The Gamecocks’ final run came in the eighth inning, after Callil walked to start things off and later scored on a sac fly by TJ Hopkins.
South Carolina starter Cam Tringali worked three innings and allowed four hits and three runs. He walked two batters and struck one out. Dylan Harley, Parker Coyne, and Wesley Sweatt also pitched in this game, and Coyne took the loss, making him 2-1. LSU reliever Devin Fontenot earned the win, giving him a 5-1 record, and Todd Peterson got the save, his third.
The Gamecocks finish the season 28-28, which, all things considered, is better than it could have been. This also marks the end of Cullen, Hopkins, and Jacob Olson’s time at USC, and it’s a bummer that three guys who were so important are going out on this note. Fingers crossed that this is a low point and we all have a lot more fun watching Gamecock baseball next year. And on that note, let’s end the 2019 series of recaps with one final dog gif:
