Jack's takes from another huge win for South Carolina in Hoover
The year is 2004. A man named Mark Zuckerberg launches Facebook for the first time, the hit show “Friends,” wraps up after 10 incredible seasons, and the Boston Red Sox break the Curse of the Bambino and win the World Series for the first time since 1918.
Oh, and a college baseball team went on a big run to win a conference tournament. The team? South Carolina. The Gamecocks would win four straight games and glide through the winner’s bracket to win the SEC Championship.
Now, what if I told you that was the last time South Carolina made it into the winner’s bracket in Hoover? Until now. Because on Wednesday, the Gamecocks picked up a 6-5 win over Arkansas to move to 2-0 in the tournament. This is the first time they’ve won two straight games in Hoover under head coach Mark Kingston.
Here are my takes from another big win.
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Kingston made the right move
With a 4-2 lead in the seventh inning, Kingston made a call to the bullpen. Ty Good had pitched very well out of relief, but he was running out of gas after giving up two straight singles. So he called on Garrett Gainey to come in and get out of the jam.
You might be asking, ‘Oh, why did Kingston use Gainey out of relief? What happened to him starting?’ Let’s think about it this way. Mostly everyone was critical of Kingston for not using Chris Veach in a one-run game last weekend vs. Tennessee. Now with a chance to beat Arkansas, Kingston wanted to lock this game down and use his best weapon. So I don’t blame him at all.
Arkansas would tie the game with both runs being charged to Good. But the left-hander kept some hope alive for the Gamecocks.
From there, Gainey pitched as well as he could’ve, tossing three innings of one-run ball. He struck out three and walked one to seal the deal on an upset win for the Gamecocks.
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Cole Messina: Captain Clutch
When talking about the great players in the SEC, there’s guys like Jac Caglianone, Charlie Condon and Christian Moore. But what about Cole Messina? His name needs to be included that argument of elite players in college baseball.
And it’s still mind-boggling that he only made the All-SEC Second Team. I say that because he has been on an absolute tear this week in Hoover. The junior catcher went 3-for-4 with two homers and five RBI in the win over the Razorbacks.
His ninth-inning homer made the difference to lead South Carolina to victory. He’s the heart and soul of this team and the reason they are moving into the winner’s bracket.
Go for it all
After two straight wins in Hoover, the Gamecocks have entered uncharted territory. Like I said before, this is the first time they’re in the winner’s bracket in 20 years. And now, they’ve got a shot at a conference title.
In my opinion, if they can find a way to win on Thursday, I say go for it all. Do what you can to try and win the SEC Championship. It’s going to be tough as South Carolina will face a red-hot LSU squad. But if it can get through Thursday, there’s a serious chance this team can get it done.
