Gamecock Digest

FINAL: Home Run Ball, Chris Veach's Changeup Power Gamecocks Past Alabama In First Round Of SEC Baseball Tournament

Andrew Lyon

Gamecocks utility Chris Veach (37) on the mound in the bottom of the sixth inning at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Florida, Sunday, April 14, 2024.
Gamecocks utility Chris Veach (37) on the mound in the bottom of the sixth inning at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Florida, Sunday, April 14, 2024. / Cyndi Chambers Sports/Special to the

Hoover, AL, has been a place where dreams have often gone to die for South Carolina's baseball team, and with the Gamecocks having lost six straight to end the regular season, some might've assumed that would be the case once again on Tuesday afternoon against the Alabama Crimson Tide. However, in true Jonathan Frakes fashion, Carolina said, "Not this time," as they defeated the Tide 10-5.

The beginning of the game did not go Carolina's way, as Alabama scored the game's first three runs thanks to an error that was followed by an RBI single, hit-by-pitch, and sacrifice fly, leading to Gamecock starter Dylan Eskew being pulled in the second inning for Matthew Becker. However, Mark Kingston's squad would respond in a big way in the third inning, as Gavin Casas and Ethan Petry would hit a solo homer, and Dalton Reeves would hammer a grand slam to give South Carolina a 6-3 lead.

After pitching shutout ball in the third inning on the bump, Becker would give up two one-out singles in the fourth inning, leading to Chris Veach coming on in relief. Although Veach would give up two runs (both attached to Matthew) before getting out of that same inning, he would go on to have the best outing arguably of his two years with the Gamecocks, pitching the rest of the game and allowing only four Tide Batters to reach base while striking out six, primarily off his changeup.

Add in four more runs off a Cole Messina solo homer and RBI double, along with an infield groundout from Blake Jackson, and Carolina wound up winning their first game of the SEC Tournament for the third time in the Mark Kingston era. They'll take on the No. 2 seed Arkansas Razorbacks after the conclusion of tomorrow's game between the LSU Tigers and the Kentucky Wildcats.

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Andrew Lyon
ANDREW LYON

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