Gamecocks' late rally sparks sweep over LSU
Mark Kingston called his team together with the Gamecocks trailing by six runs and needing a sweep over No. 19 LSU to scratch their way back to .500 in the SEC with a month left to play.
Whatever he said worked, as the Gamecocks scored four runs in the inning en route to eight unanswered runs to sweep the Tigers after an 8-6 victory Sunday.
“Coach Kingston called us together,” LT Tolbert said. “As we were going to hit that inning, he called us all together that inning and said, ‘Remember we were down six to Clemson and came back and tied that game up. Don’t stress.’”
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The Gamecocks (23-17, 9-9 SEC) didn’t and strung together four hits in the inning, thanks in part to a bases-loaded, two-out single from Noah Campbell that drove in two, to cut into the lead.
Justin Row would tie the game in the seventh, pushing a 3-2 pitch over the wall in left field for a two-run homer, his fourth of the year, that he still doesn’t understand how it left the park.
“I was just looking for that pitch up,” he said. “When I swung, I didn’t think it was out. I thought I got under it because the ball was even higher. I got lucky. It got up in the wind and got out.”
Tolbert, who finished 2-for-5 on the day, gave the Gamecocks the lead in the eighth inning as he’d rope a slicing single into right field to score two runs and give his team the lead.
All eight runs came off LSU’s bullpen that wasted five shutout innings from starter Nick Bush. Five pitchers combined to give up eight hits and five walks as the Gamecocks took advantage over the last three innings.
Four runs were scored with two outs Sunday, and Row’s home run and Campbell’s two-run single both came on full counts. After starting 1-for-10 with runners on base, South Carolina went 5-for-13 (.385) down the stretch.
“Having everybody healthy is really the biggest thing,” Tolbert said. “Getting TJ back at the top of the lineup, he’s a huge table setter. It makes a big, big difference. Overall, our offense was really good.”
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After starter Cody Morris gave up six runs—five earned—over 4.1 innings, Eddy Demurias came in and scattered three hits and two walks over four innings while striking out four.
He’d leave in the ninth after giving up a walk and single, with Sawyer Bridges coming in for the last two outs and picking up his second save in three outings.
For Demurias, it was his first outing in over a week and he’d tie a season high for his longest bullpen outing.
“I knew I was going to be fresh going into today,” he said. “The last two days our offense was getting hot and we were getting hot as the game went on. I was just trying to throw zeros.”
Sunday caps a weekend where the Gamecocks scored 30 runs, the most in a weekend since putting up 31 against Texas A&M in 2015.
It also marks the first series win over LSU in four tries and the first sweep since 2006.
“It’s maybe one of the better weekends we’ve had in a while around here for our program,” Kingston said. “As Coach Tanner said to me in the tunnel after the game, ‘That’s why you’re here. You’re here to experience stuff like that.’ I agree 100 percent.”
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Player of the game: Eddy Demurias calmed the game down after a rocky start from Cody Morris, not allowing a run over four innings and picking up the win.
Pivotal moment: Chris Cullen threw out the go-ahead run in the eighth to end the inning and keep momentum on South Carolina's side. LT Tolbert had the go-ahead hit in the bottom of the inning.
Up next: South Carolina hits the road for a mid-week game against Furman Tuesday. First pitch from Fluor Field is scheduled for 7 p.m.