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GAMECOCKS TAKE SERIES WITH 6-4 WIN OVER VANDERBILT IN 13 INNINGS
Nashville, Tenn –
Christian Walker’s two-out two-run homer in the top of the 13th inning
helped lift 10th ranked South Carolina to a 6-4 victory over Vanderbilt
on Sunday afternoon to clinch the weekend series for the
Gamecocks. South Carolina is 20-8 and 3-6 in the SEC while the
loss drops Vanderbilt to 11-17 and 3-6 in league play.
The game
was tied at 4-4 entering the top of the seventh inning. Carolina
junior right-hander Matt Price, who had allowed an infield single and a
run in the top of the sixth, settled in and kept the game in check for
the Gamecocks from the seventh to 11th innings. Time and again
with runners in scoring position, Price dug deep and kept the game at
bay. He finished going six innings and allowing one run on one
hit with four walks and seven strikeouts. He made way for
freshman left-hander Jordan Montgomery, who worked a clean 12th
inning. That set the stage for the 13th inning. Evan
Marzilli reached base with a one-out single. With two outs and
Marzilli still on first base, Christian Walker launched a 1-0 pitch
from Vanderbilt reliever Philip Pfefier that just cleared the Green
Monster wall in left field giving the Gamecocks a two-run lead.
Montgomery went back to work in the bottom half and retired the first
two batters. After Connor Harrell singled with two outs,
Montgomery ended the game with a strikeout against pinch hitter John
Norwood.
Montgomery hurled two scoreless innings of relief with
two hits allowed, one walk and three strikeouts to pick up the
win. He is 2-0 on the year. It was his second win of the
week as he also earned a win on Tuesday night at The Citadel as a
starter. Pfeifer suffered the loss and is 0-1 on the year.
He allowed two runs on three hits in 1.1 innings with one walk as well.
South
Carolina raced out to a 4-0 lead on the Commodores. The Gamecocks
broke ahead 1-0 in the top of the first inning. The Gamecocks
strung together three consecutive hits with Pankake doubling of the
wall in left-center, advancing to third on Walker’s base hit and
scoring on Brison Celek’s RBI single to left field past Vanderbilt
third baseman Vince Conde. The lead increased to 2-0 in the
fourth inning. LB Dantzler launched the first pitch he saw from
Vanderbilt starter Will Clinard over the wall in right-center for a
homer. He now has five for the season. South Carolina
tacked on two more in the top of the fifth inning with Dantzler driving
in both runs with a two-out RBI single. Evan Marzilli opened the
frame with a leadoff walk and has reached base all 28 games this
year. With Marzilli on second and one out, the Commodores elected
to intentionally walk Walker. After a short grounder to second
moved both runners into scoring position, Dantzler knocked a base hit
up the middle to give the Gamecocks a four-run lead.
Gamecock
starting pitcher Colby Holmes retired 10 in a row at one point but ran
into trouble in the fifth inning. Spencer Navin led off with a
single to left field, the first hit of the game for the
Commodores. He advanced to second on a throwing error by Tanner
English into the infield. Another base hit from Vince Conde gave
Vanderbilt runners on the corners. With one out and runners still
at first and third base, Riley Reynolds drove in Navin with a sacrifice
fly to left-center putting the Commodores on the scoreboard. A
two-out single by Jack Lupo kept the Commodores alive in the
inning. With left-handed hitting Tony Kemp at the plate, the
Gamecocks went to the pen for junior left-hander Tyler Webb. Kemp
was able to turn on an inside pitch and knocked a double to right field
scoring both runners and cutting the Gamecocks lead to one run.
Vanderbilt tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth
inning. Mike Yastrzemski reached base on an infield single to
open the frame and stole second base. With runners on first and
second with one out, Vince Conde bounced a ground ball to Pankake at
shortstop. Pankake flipped to Payne at second, for the second out
but could not get Conde at first as he beat the throw out.
Yastrzemski never stopped running from second and ran his way home
beating a throw from Walker at first to tie the game up.
South
Carolina had 12 hits to just seven by Vanderbilt. Walker was
3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. Pankake, Celek and
Dantzler had two hits apiece as well. Kemp was 2-for-5 with two
RBI to lead Vanderbilt at the plate.
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