As the ball left Andrew Eyster’s bat in the 11th inning, he felt euphoria then switched immediately to dread before ending back with euphoria, all in the matter of two or three seconds.
That’s when Eyster smoked a ball off Clemson freshman Geoffrey Gilbert, lining it to centerfield only to see the defender tracking towards it. But, in a split second as the outfielder dove, the ball glanced off the glove and onto the grass as the Gamecocks won 3-2 in Greenville.
“I saw him dive and I saw it in slow motion,” Eyster said, a smile flexing over his face. “I saw it tip off the top of his glove and I knew we won in that moment.”
Eyster’s double proved to be the winning hit for the Gamecocks as they walked-off Clemson 3-2 at Fluor Field in extra innings in what was a drama-filled series opener.
Also see: Thoughts and observations on the Clemson series
“That was a tremendous ball game, one for the ages. It was a great environment that didn’t feel like it was a pandemic,” Mark Kingston said. “That was as loud a crowd as I’ve heard in a long time. It was just great to be out there with two good teams getting after it and getting to compete. We just found a way to win at the end.”
The Gamecocks (5-0) held a slim 2-1 lead heading into the ninth inning before Clemson tied the game on a solo shot from James Parker off Brett Kerry tied the game, forcing extras in a game the Gamecocks controlled for the majority of it.
“We were all pretty confident our pitchers would hold them and our hitters would get it done. It took a little longer than we would have liked but we got it done. I don’t feel like anyone was too anxious—no I wouldn’t say that, I was anxious,” “we never felt like we were out of it, that’s for sure”
And hold the pitching staff did. Kerry and Will Sanders combined for two more scoreless innings, including a jam in the 11th, to set the table for Eyster’s winning hit.
The biggest plays, though, came from Will Sanders, who came in from the bullpen with two on and no one out and used a double play mixed with another groundout to end the inning, walking off to a raucous yell and a few fist pumps.
Also see: Inside Gamecocks' 2022 quarterback recruiting
“It says a lot about the kid. Everyone knows the kind of person he is, just being a nice guy but it’s cool to see him out there showing some guts and big time competitiveness being clutch,” Eyster said. “That’s something he proved today. We’ll use that for weeks and months to follow."
Pitching dominated for both sides Saturday with the Gamecocks getting paced by starter Thomas Farr, who pitched six innings of one-run baseball, scattering five hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. As a staff South Carolina allowed seven hits, walked three and struck out 16 batters.
“Will Sanders looked very comfortable, obviously. All four of our guys did: Farr, Bosnic, Kerry and Sanders,” Kingston said. “We struck out too much offensively but we struck them out 16 times. All four pitchers were great. They had great stuff, they had great poise and Will Sanders did not look like a freshman out there.”
Despite registering 15 hits, South Carolina’s offense struggled for the most part against Clemson’s arms, striking out 21 times leaving 13 on base and hitting 7-for-24 with runners on base.
But it was Brady Allen who catalyzed the offense, zinging a leadoff double to centerfield.
Also see: More on the NCAA NOA ruling
“He’s just a good baseball player. Good baseball players do good things in big games. That’s what he did tonight,” Kingston said of Allen. “Good teams have good players who are leaders and are tough that have been in the trenches. He’s done that.”
Eyster delivered the game-winning hit three batters later, another laser of a hit to center.
“He’s just a good hitter that came up big in a big situation. Obviously it was a night where there were a lot of strikeouts on both sides," Kingston said. "Contact was at a premium and he made elite contact. That ball had to be 110 miles per hour, it looked like. It was a great at-bat at the right time.”
The Gamecocks have now won five straight games to open the season, the longest since winning 10 straight to start the 2016 season.
They head home now with the chance of taking the series Sunday afternoon at Founders Park (1:30 p.m., SEC Network Plus).
“The team has character. I’ve seen it. They’ve shown me a couple times throughout the year, inside stuff where they’ve shown me a lot of character and maturity,” Kingston said. “I thought that’s what we saw tonight. A lot of teams can crumble if you give up a back breaker but they just kept coming.”
