The Sarge

BOTTOM - 9 Beal back out there. First pitch of the inning, he hits Cousino. Obvious bunt situation for Zellers. USC hasn't been good in these spots. Lets see if UK can execute. They do. LB makes the play. Runner to second, one down. Maile up and he absolutely crushes a pitch over the wall in center. FINAL: Kentucky 4 - Carolina 3. Kentucky wins on a two-run, walk-off home run by Luke Maile off of Evan Beal.

TOP 9 - English leads off with a single through the right side. Bright can't get the bunt down. He offers at a two-strike pitch and blue says he offered at it. Looked like a good call from here. Ray having a conversation with Connor as he comes back to the dugout. English still on first. Marzilli up. Tanner puts on a little hit-and-run. Marzilli shoots one through the left side, right where the shortstop should have been. English, despite the early jump, has to stop at second. Matthews goes down on strikes for the fourth time tonight. Walker walks to load the bases. Martin is first pitch swinging and bounces out to second. Beal out to the mound. Gamecocks lead 3-2.

BOTTOM 8 - Evan Beal in to pitch. Pankake in at short. Bright over to second. Beal gets a strike out looking and then a strike out swinging. The runner, however, reached first base on the pitch in the dirt when it got by Greiner. Pinch hitter Paul McConkey digs in. The left-hander goes down looking. That's 3Ks in the inning, but only two outs. English tracks down a fly ball in left to end the inning. Gamecocks looking for some insurance runs. Gamecocks lead 3-2.

TOP 8 - Greiner pops out to left. Payne goes down swinging. Dantzler grounds out to deep second. USC leads 3-2.

BOTTOM 7 - UK starts off the inning with a leadoff single to right by Riddle, the seven-hole hitter. Roth gets Williams on strikes. Reida bounces to first. Walker cuts down the lead runner, but the relay throw back to Roth is late. Two down, runner on first for Cousiano. Greiner makes a nice stop on a sweeping breaking ball that bounces in the right-handed batters box. He walks. Koumas and Webb warming up. Seemed as though Zellers leaned into a pitch to get hit. He's given his base though to load them up. Meyers comes back out and calls on Forrest Koumas to face three-hole hitter Luke Maile -- who is hitting .359 with three home runs. Koumas goes behind in the count 3-1 and gives up a walk on a very, very borderline call. Seemed like a strike from here. USC dugout unhappy. Webb coming in. He gives up a dribbler towards short. No SS in teh game could have made that play. Another run in, bases loaded. Webb stays in to face LHH Flynn. Webb ahead in the count 1-2. He gets a flare towards third. Dantzler makes the catch in foul territory. Gamecocks lead 3-2.

TOP 7 - Matthews Ks for the third time, but this one is swinging. One down. Walker lines out to left and Martin pops out to short. Gamecocks lead 3-0 at the stretch.

BOTTOM 6 - Pop up behind first base. Payne runs circles around it and it falls. Should have been an easy play. It's ruled a single, but it should have been an error. Matthews catches a pop fly in shallow right. Marzilli makes a great running/sliding catch on the track in left center. He ran a heck of a long way for that one. Wow. Great play. Ground ball to Payne's left. He can't gobble it up. Ball hits off him and away. Two on, two outs. That should be two errors this inning. Just given one. With two on, Roth Ks McCarthy to end the inning. Attaway to battle. Gamecocks lead 3-0.

TOP 6 - Dantlzer leads off the inning taking one off the back. English up, and he should bunt, I'd think. English bunts him up. Bright hits a soft liner down the right field line. Very nice running catch out there by Flynn. Those outfielders cover some ground, too. Evan Marzilli hits a hard ground ball back up the middle. Gets through. Dantzler in to score. That's an RBI for Marz, and also means he's reached base in all 17 games this season. He's caught stealing to end the inning. Gamecocks lead 3-0

BOTTOM 5 - Line out, strike out. Two quick ones for Roth. Very, very nice. Make that three quick ones. Roth gets a sharp ground ball to Payne. Picks it up nicely. Those guys have been solid in the infield tonight. Their first real tests of the season thus far, in my opinion. Gamecocks lead 2-0.

TOP 5 - Marzilli flies out to deep center. Nice running catch by Cousino out there. He had a long way to go. Matthews goes down looking on a pitch that looked to be inside. Not sure though. Walker serves a single to right to bring up Martin. I kind of thought he'd be pinch hit for here, but they're gonna stick with him. Martin grounds towards short. the infielder was playing up the middle and he can't get to it in time. Hits off his glove, but he was so far out of position, there was no chance to get him. Two on, two down for Greiner. He walks on five pitches. Payne flies out to right center though and UK dodges a bullet. Gamecocks still lead 2-0.

BOTTOM 4 - Leadoff single through the right side by celanup hitter Reed. Flynn up, and gives a pitch a ride that went probably 400 feet, but plenty foul. Bet Roth goes changeup away here. He does. Bouncer to Bright's right, and he makes a nice play with a strong throw to second. That's the only runner they can get though. McCarthy pops out to left. Riddle flies out to center. Nice little job there by Roth.

TOP 4 - Greiner pops up to second base for the first out of the inning. Payne absolutely crushes a pitch left belt high over the middle of the plate over the wall in left center. The ball hit off the net protecting the scoreboard. Doubles up USC's lead. Dantzler then ropes a single to right. Mound visit to see Rogers. English hits a slow roller to third. Dantzler makes second, but English is out. Bright up with a duck on the pond. He goes down swinging. Gamecocks lead 2-0

BOTTOM 3 - Roth gets the first out of the inning on a breaking ball in the dirt. The runner breaks for first and Greiner throws it into his back. The runner was in the field of play and not in the running lane and home plate umpire Jack Cox properly calls him out. Make that two Ks. Maile grounds out to short. Easiest inning for Roth thus far. Gamecocks lead 1-0.

TOP 3 - Gamecocks get the first two runners on -- single by Bright and a sac bunt E1 off the bat of Marzilli. Matthews bunts both runners up. Walker grounds out to short, but that is good enough to get Bright in from third base. Marzilli has to hold at second. Martin pops out to short to end the inning. I dont' know how much of a chance he has against this LHP tonight. Rogers is on point and Martin hasn't had a good pass yet that I've seen. Gamecocks lead 1-0

BOTTOM 2 - Roth off to a strong start this inning with a strikeout looking of Flynn. McCarthy singles, but is forced out at second base. Bright played a grounder off his chest and flips to second to force out Flynn. McCarthy safe at first and he moves to second after a walk to Williams. Reida up. He grounds back up the middle. Payne fields and flips it to second for the out. Two left stranded for the Wildcats, too. No score.

TOP 2 - Kyle Martin Ks to lead off the inning. Gamecocks get three straight base runners - Greiner and Payne both bounce singles through the six hole and Dantzler walks. That brings up Tanner English. You certainly don't expect him to get doubled off, but he hits a hard ground ball to short and the Wildcats turn a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. Not how you want that one to go. Gives the Wildcats some confidence. Roth back to the mound. No score.

BOTTOM 1 - Unfortunately, now yall know why I've been a bit brief with my updates. I've been trying to track down this Carter thing all day today. All week, really. But back to the action .... Roth gets a ground ball back to him by Cousino and throws over to first for the first out of the inning. Zellers is the first runner on base of the game drilling a double over the head of Evan Marzilli in straightaway center field. Maile strikes out swinging. Reed up and is really working Roth. Fouling off some pitches and works the count full. Roth gets a ground ball to Walker at first. He fields cleanly and flips to Roth for the final out of the inning. No score.

TOP 1 - Marzilli lines out to the shortstop to begin the inning. Matthews Ks looking and Walker chops to third. Three up, three down go the Gamecocks.

It has drizzled off and on here today, but the weather is OK right now and we're set for a big game tonight. I'm working on a little bit of news right this second that I may have for you shortly. Stay tuned!

South Carolina

CF - Evan Marzilli
RF - Adam Matthews
1B - Christian Walker
DH - Kyle Martin
C - Grayson Greiner
2B - Erik Payne
3B - LB Dantzler
LF - Tanner English
SS - Connor Bright

LHP Michael Roth

Kentucky

CF - Austin Cousino
LF - Zac Zellers
C - Luke Maile
1B - A.J. Reed
RF - Cameron Flynn
3B - Thomas McCarthy
2B - J.T. Riddle
DH - Michael Williams
SS - Matt Reida

LHP Taylor Rogers 4.24 ERA, 4-0, 23.1 IP, 22 H, 11 ER, 6 BB, 33 K, OBA .253