South Carolina vs. Northwestern game 3 recap: Gamecocks fall to Wildcats 4-3 in extras, drop series

The winner of the Katie Dzwierzynski Showdown Series (trademark still pending) for this year is Northwestern, as the Wildcats rallied late to beat the Gamecocks 4-3 on Sunday afternoon.

Northwestern again scored first, taking a 1-0 lead in the third inning thanks to a wild pitch. That lead held until the fifth inning, when South Carolina got on the board. With two outs, George Callil got hit by a pitch, Anthony Amicangelo walked, and then Noah Campbell went yard to make the score 3-1.

The Wildcats got one run back in the next inning on a Stephen Hrustich solo shot that made it a 3-2 game, then NU tied things up on a wild play in the seventh that involved a tremendous catch by Andrew Eyster and an unexpected double play, along with the run scoring.

Nine innings weren’t enough to break the tie, so the Gamecocks and Wildcats went to extras again, and again things didn’t go very well for the home team. Northwestern loaded the bases with one out thanks to a single and a couple of walks, then yet another walk forced in the go-ahead run. USC mustered only a single in the bottom half of the inning.

Gamecocks starter Brannon Jordan pitched six innings and allowed two hits and two runs. He walked three batters and struck nine out. Cam Tringali, Daniel Lloyd, and Graham Lawson also pitched in this game, and Lawson took the loss, making him 0-1. Wildcats reliever Colby Moe earned the win and is now 1-0, and reliever Jack Pagliarini got the save, his first of the season.

This game had both great plays and sloppy ones on both sides, but Northwestern managed to capitalize on Carolina’s mistakes, while the opposite wasn’t true. The Gamecocks are now 5-2 on the season, while the Wildcats are 3-3. USC will be back in action on Tuesday, when they host North Florida. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Founders Park.