South Carolina celebrated its 2011 national championship by winning its first game of the 2012 season the same way it won so many last year. The Gamecocks (1-0) used a two-out single in the bottom of the eighth inning by LB Dantzler to escape the season-opener with a 2-1 victory over VMI.

Junior Evan Marzilli was 3-for-4 on the day and scored the game-winning run in the eighth inning.

South Carolina was 13-3 last season in one-run games. So far this season, thanks to some masterful pitching and a couple of clutch hits, the Gamecocks are 1-0.

Senior Michael Roth pitched six innings of one-run baseball but didn’t factor into the decision as it took until two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning for his team to take the first lead of the game.

Junior Evan Marzilli, who was 3-for-4 with three singles on the day, led off the inning with a bunt single up the third base line. After moving to second, Dantzler, behind in the count 0-2, lined a single to center for the first RBI of the season.

“LB had a great swing,” Marzilli said. “Hopefully he’ll keep delivering big hits like that.”

Dantzler, the team’s leading home run hitter in preseason scrimmages with five, was 0-for-3 at the plate prior to his RBI smash. He had a couple of good passes at the plate in his first two at-bats, but finally got one to fall for the game-winner.

“It’s pretty special,” Dantzler said. “The most important thing is getting the win. I’ll remember this one for probably the rest of my life.”

The Keydets were the first team on the scoreboard plating a run in the top of the second inning off Roth. The southpaw allowed a one-out single and the runner advanced to second on a fielders choice. With two down, catcher Matt Winn hit a soft liner to left, which hit off Tanner English’s glove on a diving attempt and fell to the ground for an RBI single.

“It was sort of going to line up as a pitchers’ duel and that’s what it ended up pretty much being,” South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner said.

Junior LB Dantzler knocked in the game-winning run with a line drive single to center.

The Gamecocks tied it up in the bottom of the third with a little two-out rally. Junior Chase Vergason reached base on a fielders choice and moved to second on a single by Evan Marzilli. A wild pitch and a passed ball later, Vergason scored to knot the score at one apiece.

South Carolina couldn’t get a lot going off of Cowgill. The right-hander, who sported a low 90s fastball and the ability to throw his breaking pitches for strikes, allowed six hits and no walks over the first six innings. He only had two strikeouts, but he also allowed only one run.

Roth finished the day allowing one earned run on 89 pitches over six innings. He gave up four hits, no walks, and struck out six in the no decision.

Cowgill worked out of a two-out jam in the bottom of the seventh inning. Freshmen Joey Pankake[b] and [b]Tanner English reached on a walk and bunt single, respectively. Vergason grounded back to the pitcher for the second time in the game though to end the threat.

The right-hander finished the game allowing one run, which was unearned, on seven hits in seven innings.

With Cowgill in the dugout, the Gamecocks were able to plate another run. Right-hander Alan Watts came in to replace the starter and gave up a bunt single to Marzilli, who moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Adam Matthews. After Walker was retired, Dantzler stepped up to deliver his first career hit and the first RBI of the season for the Gamecocks.

“It was anybody’s game,” Tanner said. “We were fortunate to come up with a big hit by LB.”

Junior Tyler Webb, who took over for Roth in the seventh inning, picked up the win. He pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless relief before giving the ball to sophomore Forrest Koumas, who was looking for his first career save.

Catcher Grayson Greiner, who was 2-for-3 with two singles and a hit by pitch at the plate, threw out an attempted stealer for the second out of the ninth inning. Koumas got the final out of the game on a full count slider to end it and pick up his first save.

Greiner, Marzilli, and English all had multi-hit games for South Carolina.

South Carolina and VMI will face off again on Saturday at Noon. First pitch was moved up due to bad weather expected in the afternoon. Junior Matt Price is scheduled to start for the Gamecocks.

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Photos by Juan Blas