#17-Mississippi State 4 — USC 3 (F/11 Innings: Game Summary)
- As they have all weekend, the Bulldogs struck first in their bid for a sweep on Sunday. Blake Bevis hit Mississippi State’s 7th HR of the weekend with a two-run shot in the second inning to give MSU a 2-0 lead
- It stayed 2-0 MSU until the sixth, when the visitors added to their lead. After back-to-back singles put runners at the corners and chased USC starter Alex Valentin from the game, Bevis drove in his third run of the game on a fielder’s choice. Afterwards, Alex Philpott was able to record the final two outs to end the inning with MSU leading 3-0
- Carolina batters continued to struggle against Mississippi State pitching on Sunday before finally getting to the Bulldogs’ bullpen in the latter innings. After striking out eighteen times in a 9-0 loss on Saturday, the Gamecocks fanned eight times through the first five innings against MSU starter Charlie Foster. For the weekend, USC hitters struck out 44 times over the three-game series
- In the bottom of the sixth inning, USC finally snapped its scoreless streak against the Bulldogs. After not crossing home plate since the fifth inning of Friday night’s game, Jake Randolph was able to pick up an RBI single to cut Mississippi State’s lead to 3-1
- If you want a summary of USC’s season, the 8th inning of Sunday’s series finale is the perfect illustration. With runners at second and third and no one out, Will Craddock smacked a hot shot to third. The ball was hit so sharply that 3rd baseman Ace Reese had plenty of time to field the ball and throw out Patrick Evans at home. Then, Talmadge LeCroy hit a fly ball to left field that required just one more gust of wind to clear the park for a three-run home run, giving the Gamecocks the lead. Instead, the ball hit the top of the wall, and LeCroy was held to a long single as Tyler Bak trotted home with USC’s second run of the game. Also on the play, Will Craddock appeared to misread the fly ball and only advanced to second base instead of third, where he could have scored on a subsequent wild pitch from MSU reliever Ben Davis. Following the wild pitch, Randolph grounded out to second, driving in the tying run. However, USC could have easily held the lead going into the 9th and perhaps avoided a loss in extra innings
- Neither team scored in the ninth or tenth, setting the stage for the Bulldogs to grab the win in the eleventh on a sacrifice fly to center field. The 4-3 victory was sealed in the bottom of the 11th as KJ Scobey, Dawson Harmon, and Ethan Lizama went down 1-2-3
- USC (19-22/5-13) will host Presbyterian on Tuesday at 6:30pm