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South Carolina

South Carolina uses walk-off win to take series over Ole Miss

On3 imageby: Collyn Taylor04/16/22collyntaylor
On3 image
Jalen Vasquez (Photo by Katie Dugan)

Entering Saturday, Jalen Vasquez had six at-bats to his name this season for South Carolina. Saturday, he played the hero.

After the Gamecocks blew a four-run lead in the ninth inning, Vasquez lifted a walk-off sac fly to give South Carolina a 9-8 win and a massive series win over Ole Miss.

With the season feeling like it was in the balance, the Gamecocks (18-17, 6-9) delivered and inch just over .500 with the win. Now they enter the back half of SEC play in not as big a hole as they would have been with the loss.

It was touch and go for the Gamecocks, who watched their lead evaporate, but found a way to win it in the ninth inning.

Talmadge LeCroy drew a walk and moved to the third on a sacrifice bunt and passed ball before coming home on Vasquez’s fly out to center.

That play capped what was a very solid offensive day for the Gamecocks, who tallied nine hits and nine runs with a few different players stepping up.

LeCroy both drove in a run and scored the game-winner while Carson Hornung, Braylen Wimmer and Josiah Sightler all homered. They walked eight times to just 12 walks against a delpeted Ole Miss pitching staff.

But it was almost lost after South Carolina’s bullpen struggled late. Matthew Becker, after pitching out of trouble in the seventh and eighth innings before getting tagged for four runs in the ninth.

He’d exit with runners on base and Cade Austin would ultimately allow the tying runs to score on a RBI dobule with two away.

It nearly wasted what was a solid start for Will Sanders, who faced the minimum through four innings en route to a 6.1 inning performance. He’d give up four runs, three earned, on seven hits and struck out four.

South Carolina now hits the road for a midweek game at Winthrop followed by a road series at Auburn.

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