Nolan Belcher will start for USC Wednesday night

After losing two of three at Mississippi State last weekend, USC gets another crack at the Bulldogs tonight in their first game in the SEC baseball tournament in Hoover, AL.  The Bulldogs earned the right to face the Gamecocks, and I do mean earn, with a 2-1 win over Missouri that took 17 innings.

It really doesn’t matter how the Bulldogs did it, but Mitch Slauter singled in the winning run from second with a bloop single to center field with two outs that ended the game at 1:24 AM Eastern Time after four hours and thirty-nine minutes of, uh, action.  Inaction might be a better word.  The teams went 11 straight innings without scoring though both did have their chances.

The Bulldogs were forced to use six pitchers in the game including closer Jonathan Holder who worked 2.2 innings and threw 35 pitches.  They also used 17 players in the game.

All the while, the Gamecocks were tucked into their beds getting their rest.  Nolan Belcher will start tonight for USC.  Luis Pollerena, who started last Thursday against USC, is expected to get the start for the Bulldogs.

First pitch is scheduled for 9:00 PM Eastern Time.  Good luck with that.

And here’s the stat book from last night’s game.

The other games scheduled for Wednesday’s first round of double elimination….Arkansas vs Ole Miss, LSU vs Alabama, Vanderbilt vs Texas A&M.

Chad Holbrook will lead the Gamecocks into the postseason this week.

USC baseball coach Chad Holbrook joined an SEC sponsored teleconference this afternoon to preview the Gamecocks upcoming appearance in the conference tournament. Holbrook’s team is the number four seed and has a first round bye. USC will face the winner of Missouri and Mississippi State Wednesday night in Hoover, Alabama.

During Monday’s call Holbrook touched on several key plot points; including a recap of his first full season running the program, his thoughts on the new SEC Tournament format, his pitching plans, and what he thinks his team can do in the postseason.

We’ve tidied up Holbrook’s call for your listening enjoyment below.

AUDIO: Chad Holbrook previews SEC Tourney [8:00]

The SEC baseball tournament bracket is now set and USC fans will have a late night Wednesday.  And if the Gamecocks win, there will be another late night Thursday.  The Gamecocks, as the #4 seed, will play in the final game Wednesday against the winner of the Mississippi State-Missouri game on Tuesday.  Should they win, the Gamecocks will play in the final game on Thursday.  A loss on Wednesday will put the Gamecocks into the second game of the day on Thursday in the elimination bracket.

SEC Tournament Seeding

#1           Vanderbilt (.897)

#2           LSU (.767)

#3           Arkansas (.621)

#4           South Carolina (.586)

#5           Mississippi State (.533)

#6           Ole Miss (.500)

#7           Alabama (.483)

#8           Florida (.467)

#9           Texas A&M (.448)

#10         Auburn (.433)

#11         Kentucky (.367)

#12         Missouri (.333)

Tuesday, May 21

Game 1                 9:30 a.m.              #6 Ole Miss vs. #11 Kentucky [FSN]

Game 2                 TBD                        #7 Alabama vs. #10 Auburn [FSN]

Game 3                 4:30 p.m.             #8 Florida vs. #9 Texas A&M [CSS]

Game 4                 TBD                        #5 Mississippi State vs. #12 Missouri [CSS]

Wednesday, May 22

Game 5                 9:30 a.m.              #3 Arkansas vs. Winner Game 1 [CSS]

Game 6                 TBD                        #2 LSU vs. Winner Game 2 [CSS]

Game 7                 4:30 p.m.             #1 Vanderbilt vs. Winner Game 3 [CSS]

Game 8                 TBD                        #4 South Carolina vs. Winner Game 4 [CSS]

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Dantzler’s 2 homers not enough for USC (File Photo)

Despite a pair of homers from senior first baseman LB Dantzler, the 12th ranked Gamecocks allowed a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the 2nd and 16th ranked Mississippi State tacked on two more runs in the sixth and three in the eighth on the way to a 7-2 victory over South Carolina in the rubber game of a three-game SEC series. Mississippi State is now 40-16 and 16-14 in the SEC with South Carolina finishing the regular season 39-16 and 17-12 in league play.

South Carolina will head to Hoover, Ala. for the 2013 SEC Tournament. The Gamecocks have earned the No. 4 seed and a first round bye. South Carolina will play in the final game of the day on Wednesday, May 22 against either the No. 5 seed Mississippi State or No. 12 seed Missouri. It is double elimination from Wednesday-Friday with Saturday and Sunday single elimination.

Mississippi State reliever Ross Mitchell earned the win in relief and is now 10-0 on the year. He allowed one run on two hits in 4.2 innings with a walk and a strikeout. South Carolina starter Jack Wynkoop suffered the loss and is now 7-3 on the year. He allowed four runs, two earned, on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 5.1 innings.

LB Dantzler’s team-leading 13th home run of the season gave South Carolina a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. Dantzler drilled a 2-2 pitch from Lindgren over the right field wall.

AUDIO: Chad Holbrook talks about Saturday’s loss [3:01]

AUDIO: Jack Wynkoop on his outing Saturday [1:24]

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Grayson Greiner put the Gamecocks on top Friday night (file photo)

Grayson Greiner’s two-out two-run homer in the top of the 10th inning lifted 12th ranked South Carolina to a 5-3 victory over 16th ranked Mississippi State on Friday evening at Dudy Noble Field in game two of a three-game SEC series. The Gamecocks clinch the No. 4 seed at next week’s SEC Tournament and earn a bye into Wednesday night and the double elimination format in bracket two. Carolina is 39-15 and 17-11 in the SEC with Mississippi State dropping to 39-16 and 15-14 in league play.

With the score deadlocked at 3-3 and two outs in the top of the 10th inning, LB Dantzler drew a two-out walk against MSU reliever C.T. Bradford. With Greiner coming to the plate, Mississippi State went to the bullpen for right-hander Daryl Norris. On Norris’ first pitch, Greiner launched his fourth home run of the season into the left field stands to give Carolina a two-run lead. Senior left-hander Tyler Webb entered in the bottom of the 10th and worked a perfect frame with a strikeout for his 16th save to preserve the victory.

“I got it pretty good,” said Greiner. “I was sitting on a slider. I saw in warm-ups that he had a pretty good one. It was sitting right there, it felt real good when it came off (the bat). I don’t know if it is the hardest ball I have ever hit, but it felt good.”

Senior left-hander Adam Westmoreland earned the win and is 7-1 on the year. He worked two scoreless innings and allowed just one hit and one walk with two strikeouts. Bradford suffered the loss and is 1-1 on the year.

Greiner was 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Alex Detz went 4-for-4 to lead Mississippi State with Adam Frazier and Brett Pirtle tallying two hits apiece as well.

“We have some older guys out there that have been through the ringers of this league,” said South Carolina head coach Chad Holbrook. “I’m proud with the way they have handled adversity (in this series). It’s a tough place to play and we are playing a really good team that could be in Omaha at the end of the year. We feel fortunate to have been able to win and secure our (top 4) spot on Wednesday in Hoover. It was a big win for our team.”

Through the first four innings both South Carolina starter Jordan Montgomery and Mississippi State starter Kendall Graveman were effective on the mound for their respective teams.

Scoreless entering the top of the fifth, Carolina broke ahead 2-0 on the Bulldogs. Greiner led off with a base hit up the middle and Graham Saiko drew a walk to give Carolina a pair of runners with no outs. After a groundout by Kyle Martin moved both into scoring position, Greiner scored on Connor Bright’s RBI groundout to second. The Gamecocks would make it 2-0 when Saiko scored on a wild pitch issued by Graveman.

Mississippi State scored once in the sixth inning. Adam Frazier led off with a base hit and Alex Detz singled to give the Bulldogs a pair of runners. After a deep flyout to left by Hunter Renfroe advanced Frazier to third, Brett Pirtle would be hit by a pitch to load the bases. A short flyout to center off the bat of Wes Rea kept the bases loaded. With two outs, Bradford would strikeout but the low strike would get past Greiner for a wild pitch and allowed Frazier to score the first run for MSU. Montgomery kept Carolina ahead with a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

Mississippi State added two runs in the seventh inning to take a 3-2 lead. Derrick Armstrong reached base with one out on a bunt for a base hit. Frazier and Detz followed with singles that loaded the bases. With two outs and the bases still full, Pirtle lifted the first pitch from Montgomery just over Pankake into left-center for a single scoring a pair of runners and giving the Bulldogs a one-run lead.

Back and forth, South Carolina answered with a run in the eighth inning to tie it at 3-3. In a nine-pitch at bat with one out, Max Schrock singled to left field to give the Gamecocks a base runner. Chase Vergason followed with a single to the gap in left-center that put runners on the corners. With two outs and runners still on first and third, MSU reliever Jonathan Holder let one slip and issued up a wild pitch scoring Schrock and tying the game.

The Gamecocks and Westmoreland escaped damage in the bottom of the 9th inning. With two outs, Detz doubled down the left field line. After Renfroe was intentionally walked, Pirtle would be hit for the second time to load the bases for Mississippi State. Westmoreland kept his composure and on a 1-1 pitch to Rea, he got the MSU first baseman to foul out down the first base line to keep the game in check and send it into extra innings.

**Story from USC SID**