The Sarge

TOP 9 - Privette in there trying to finish it out. Gets Rosecrans and pinch hitter Carlisle to strike out swinging to begin the inning. Another pinch hitter - Allen Dye - coming up. I don't foresee an eight-run rally here for the visitors. Look like they're going to head home with three losses. Dye hits a sharp, high chopper up the middle. Privette leaps and knocks the ball down. He scrambles back to the ball, which was just behind the mound, and throws to first. Great play for him for the final out of the game. FINAL: Carolina 9 - Alabama 1. W: Belcher (4-2) USC (33-11, 14-7) has won 11 straight SEC games and will host Davidson on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

BOTTOM 8 - Gamecocks go three up, three down in the eight. Marzilli flew out to left field, Martin fouled out to third, and Greiner grounded out to third. South Carolina has swung the bats very well in this game, but that wasn't their best inning. Gamecocks lead 9-1 and have nine hits in the game.

TOP 8 - First two runners reach base on a walk and single. Belcher then gets RHH Jared Reaves swinging for the first out of the inning. Jerry Meyers then comes out to call in Hunter Privette. Bama has a nice string of righties. Moore hits a solid shot towards short. Pankake makes a diving play to snag a line drive on a short hop. He probably should have gone to third, but throws to second. Can't get the double play. Runners on the corners with two down. Smith lines out to English in right to end the inning. Gamecocks lead 9-1.

BOTTOM 7 - English up. Pops out to the catcher back by the screen. Rosenberg bounces out to third base. Two quick outs for reliever Charley Sullivan, who is of no relation to Pat or Sean. Costen up now with two down. Costen pops up to end the inning. Gamecocks lead 9-1.

TOP 7 - Belcher off to another good start to the inning getting a ground ball to Vergason and a swinging strikeout. Nice pitching here from Belcher today. He's as sharp as he's been this season. Freezes Tullidge on an inside fastball for the final out of the inning. Stretch time. Gamecocks lead 9-1.

BOTTOM 6 - Three up, three down. Pankake flies out to center, Dantzler grounds to second, and Vergason, who entered last inning for defense, pops to third.

TOP 6 - Belcher up and motoring right along. He gets a ground out to short and a strikeout to begin the inning. Five-hole hitter Smith to the plate. Oops. Jinxed him. He walks Smith with two outs. Privette up for about the ninth time today. He will sit back down though as Belcher gets Rosecrans to pop out to Pankake to end the inning. Gamecocks lead 9-1.

BOTTOM 5 - English walks on four pitches and then swipes second. Rosenberg drops a soft single just over the shortstop to put runners on the corners for Costen. He's plunked to load the bases. Marzilli hits a ground ball to second which will score a run. He also gets the RBI as the runner is cut down at second and he's safe at first. Fielders choice. Martin hits a sac fly to left. Gregory may have had a shot to throw out Rosenberg, but he lost the ball on the exchange. Greiner pops out to left to end the inning. Gamecocks lead 9-1

TOP 5 - Sullivan gives up another leadoff runner and is lifted in favor of Nolan Belcher to face the two lefties in the lineup. He gets Dugas to ground into a double play then Gregory to fly out to center. Very nice work for the little lefty. Gamecocks still lead 7-1.

BOTTOM 4 - Costen leads off with a walk, but is cut down at second on a 3-6 putout. Can't double off Marzilli hustling down the first base line. Marzilli with a straight steal attempt and slides in safely and then takes third when Booth's throw sails into center. Not even close. Infield comes in to try to cut off the run. He ropes it just inside the third base bag. Walker gingerly runs out of the box and limps off the field and back to the locker room. Within just a couple of minutes of him limping off the field, they announce strained left hamstring. Martin in to run. Greiner singles through short to put two on. Pankake comes to the dish and drops a soft liner to right center for an RBI single. That puts runners at the corners with one down for Dantzler, who hits a sac fly to deep center. If the wind wasn't blowing in so hard, that would have gone out, too. Payne up. Payne goes down swinging to end the inning. Gamecocks lead 7-1

TOP 4 - Moore flies softly to right field for out number one. I may have jinxed Dantzler. Sharp ball hit a step to his right. Ball bounces off the heel of his glove. Rule, rightfully so, a hit. Tough play. Solid single up the middle for Rosecrans to put two on with one down for Booth. He pops up in foul territory to Walker and Roberts pops up in foul ground to English. Bama getting base runners, but can't get anything across. Gamecocks lead 4-1.

BOTTOM 3 - Pankake flies out to center to begin the inning. I was just about to type how it may be hard to get the ball out of here today with the wind blowing in, but Dantzler proves me wrong. He jumps on the first pitch and sends it into the USC bullpen. That's eight home runs this season, which ties him with Walker for the team lead. English goes down swinging on some high heat. That's been his Achilles heel this year. He'll chase that high fastball. Rosenberg hits a soft liner to left. Gregory takes an interesting route, but makes a good diving catch to end the inning. Gamecocks lead 4-1

TOP 3 - Two quick outs for Sullivan to start the inning. He needed them as he's given up base runners early in the first two innings and needed double plays to get out of it. Fly ball to center and fly ball to left. Both shallow. Three-hole hitter Reaves up now and hits a ground ball towards the hole. Pankake ranges over and makes a nice play. Walker with a nice pick as well. Gamecocks lead 3-1.

BOTTOM 2 - Payne hits a slicing liner down the right field line for a leadoff double. Little late on a fastball, but ended up being pretty darn good. English tries to bunt him up but it's too close to the pitcher. He throws to third. Throw was not pinpoint and the third baseman made a great play reaching for it and making the tag at the same time on Payne. One down. Rosenberg hits a bouncer to third base which gobbles up Tullidge seconds after making a great play. Costen hits a missle back up the middle but it's off of the pitcher and stays for an infield single. Marzilli with a sac fly to left that moves up each runner. Two-run lead reinstated. After Kamplain falls behind in the count, they walk him intentionally with first base open. Not a bad idea. Force at any base now and, despite how hot Greiner has been, I'd rather face him than Walker. Greiner hits a 2-2 roller towards third. Nice play by Tullidge. He had an up and down inning. Gamecocks lead 3-1

TOP 2 - Sullivan gives up a pair of back-to-back singles to begin the second inning. Booth tries to bunt the runners up, but Sully gives him a four-pitch walk to load the bases. Roberts reaches for a low, outside pitch and rolls over into an easy 6-4-3 double play. That'll score one and put Bama on the board. Tullidge hits a check swing bouncer towards short. Dantzler cuts it off and makes a good throw across the diamond. Very, very nice play by him. If he's not careful, he's going to mess around and be SEC All-Defensive team. Gamecocks lead 2-1

BOTTOM 1 - Costen grounds out to second and Marzilli's bunt is too close to the pitcher. Two quick outs for Kamplain. Walker takes his base on six pitches bringing up Grayson Greiner, who had a big day yesterday for Carolina. Greiner hits a line drive double off the top of the left field wall. Pankake follows him up with a double down the left field line. I like Pankake better hitting fifth in the order versus leadoff. He is an RBI man and he proved that on his first AB of the day. Dantzler up and behind 0-2. He grounds out to first to end the inning. Gamecocks lead 2-0

TOP 1 - Dugas is first pitch swinging and hits a sharp grounder, but right to Payne at second, who moves a step to his left and makes the play. Sullivan proceeds to walk the next two batters. Gregory was going on the full count pitch to Reaves. Rosenberg throws to second but it goes into centerfield, so he's charged with an error to put runners at the corners. The pitch wasn't close, so no need to throw to second base. Moore hits a shallow fly ball to center. No way to tag on that. He bluffs, so Marzilli will have to make a throw. Reaves takes off from first and the throw is cut off by Walker, who throws to Pankake covering second for the easy out. Seldom-seen 8-3-6 double play. No score.

Lots of changes in the lineup today. TJ Costen had a good at-bat yesterday and is rewarded with a start. Adam Matthews, who hit two dingers but had some adventures in the field, will start this game on the bench. Erik Payne, South Carolina's best offensive option at second base, is back in the lineup. Rosenberg catching after Greiner spent 11 innings behind the plate yesterday.

South Carolina

LF - TJ Costen
CF - Evan Marzilli
1B - Christian Walker
DH - Grayson Greiner
SS - Joey Pankake
3B - LB Dantzler
2B - Erik Payne
RF - Tanner English
C - Dante Rosenberg

RHP Patrick Sullivan

Alabama

CF - Taylor Dugas
LF - Hunter Gregory
SS - Jared Reaves
RF - Ben Moore
1B - Austen Smith
DH - Josh Rosecrans
C - Brett Booth
2B - Kenny Roberts
3B - James Tullidge

LHP Justin Kamplain 3.58, 1-3, 50.1 IP, 43 H, 20 ER, 27 BB, 37 K, OBA .238

As we reported earlier, RHP Patrick Sullivan will get the start on the mound today for the Gamecocks. Full lineups haven't been released yet. After a very muggy night at the park last night, it's a much nicer day today. There's a breeze blowing in from center field. Hardly a cloud in the sky. Typical Sunday gear with the garnet jerseys and hats with the black script Carolina lettering across the front.

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