HOOVER, Ala. — South Carolina baseball took out six games of frustration with six runs in one inning.

Facing a six-game losing streak, a suddenly tight NCAA Tournament bubble and a 3-0 deficit against Alabama after two innings, the Gamecocks exploded for six runs in the third inning and never relinquished the lead in a 10-5 victory at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

This win marks the first time South Carolina (34-21) has won games in Hoover in back-to-back years since 2017-2018, and also the first time since 2017 it scored double-digit runs in a game at the conference tournament. And of course, the victory over fellow bubble-stragglers Alabama (33-22) was crucial towards the NCAA Tournament resume.

"We are very intentional about trying to build a group of guys that know there are going to be ups and downs in this league," Mark Kingston said. "You have to build the right foundation that they'll be able to handle it when they do come. Baseball is a game of consistency, a certain calm and a stable mindset, and so we've always emphasized that to our guys."

Everything looked the same as the last two series sweeps in the first two frames, though. Three defensive mistakes — albeit only one scored an error — led to three Alabama runs off starter Dylan Eskew.

When the Gamecocks stepped up for their third inning hacks, it had been 23 innings since they even recorded an extra base hit dating back to the Tennessee series, and only one run had crossed in the last 18 innings.

Then came the explosion. The long, loud thunder in a place known for its storms. There was no bad weather on this day, but plenty of blasts.

Gavin Casas and Ethan Petry each hit solo home runs to trim the deficit to 3-2, the latter of which pulled Petry into a tie with Landon Powell for fifth in school history in career dingers. A Blake Jackson single officially knocked Alabama starter Greg Farone out of the game, and set the stage for the biggest swing of the season.

After Cole Messina greeted reliever Aidan Moza with a single and Kennedy Jones worked a strong full count walk, Dalton Reeves popped up with the first grand slam of the season.

It took 55 games, but it was worth the wait. Reeves towered a shot into the Alabama bullpen, a four-run swipe which flipped a 3-2 deficit into a 6-3 lead and fired up the Gamecock dugout in a way it has not been all month.

"I had just missed a slider in the last AB so I figured they were probably going to attack me with fastballs," Reeves explained. "So I was more or less sitting fastball, and adjusting from there. I was able to see the curveball enough early to be able to sit back a little bit and keep enough back to be able to put a good swing on it. I was pretty confident I got it."

Reeves made one here for the day. The other was on the mound, specifically the bullpen.

Relief ace Chris Veach entered with a 6-3 lead and two runners on base in the fourth inning. He allowed both inherited runners that reached off Matthew Becker to score, but locked in from there. And for as vital as he has been to this team all season, even he had never quite locked in like this.

"I figured that they were sitting on it the way they were weight-shifting in the box," Veach said about his change-up. "I tried to mix it up. That's why I did a slide step fastball a couple times, and then just hanging my leg and waiting a little bit to throw. But getting ahead with the heater, that was surprising for sure."

Veach blasted through 4 ⅔ innings, tying up Alabama hitters with his wicked changeup all day and dotting his fastball through a lineup which looked totally overmatched. Through the first 3 ⅓ innings, Alabama amassed eight hits. From there, it only had two.

The stud reliever ended up throwing a career-high 67 pitches, striking out six batters without issuing a single walk to stem the Tide.

In the meantime, his battery mate provided the insurance. Messina led off the fifth with a home run and knocked in two more runs with a double the following inning, taking the lead out to 9-5 and giving Veach more than enough room to work.

And when he induced a pop-up from Kade Snell to Will Tippett at short, it concluded a sensational performance, South Carolina’s losing streak and likely any doubt about playing in the NCAA Tournament in one motion.

"It starts with the guy to my right," Kignston said post-game about Veach. "Five and two-thirds, no runs on that stage, I can't say enough about how proud I am of him."

South Carolina will be back in action to start the double-elimination portion of the tournament tomorrow against Arkansas at approximately 2 p.m. ET.

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