USC advanced in the winner’s bracket
1-seed South Carolina beat 3-seed North Carolina state 6-3 to advance in the winner’s bracket of the Columbia Regional.
The game was scoreless until the third, when the Gamecocks took a 2-0 lead after Will McGillis walked with two outs and Braylen Wimmer went yard. USC broke things open in the fifth. Wimmer, Ethan Petry, and Cole Messina walked to load the bases with two outs and Talmadge LeCroy walked too to force in a run and make the score 3-0. Gavin Casas followed with a base hit that brought Petry and Messina in to push the lead to 5-0, then Michael Braswell singled to score LeCroy and make it a 6-0 game.
The Wolfpack ended the shutout in the sixth, scoring all of their runs in the inning courtesy of a Jacob Cozart single and a double by Chase Nixon.
Cocks starter Jack Mahoney went six innings and allowed seven hits and three runs. He didn’t walk any batters, struck out six, and got the win, making him 7-3. Eli Jones and Chris Veach also pitched in this game, and Veach earned the save, his first. NC State starter Matt Willadsen worked 4.2 innings and gave up three hits and four runs. He walked five batters, struck seven out, and took the loss, making him 5-5.
McGillis and Casas had two hits each to pace Carolina at the plate, while Wimmer and Casas recorded two RBI apiece. Cozart, Nixon, LuJames Groover III, and Cannon Peebles each had two hits to lead the Wolfpack, while Nixon also tallied two RBI.
The Gamecocks are now 41-19, while North Carolina State is 36-20. USC will play the winner of the elimination game between 2-seed Campbell and the Wolfpack on Sunday, with first pitch set for 6 p.m. at Founders Park.