Baseball vs. Auburn Live Thread (Game Three)

[Alan Cole]

And the first batter Jones faces is Ware, who hits his second homer of the day out on a line into the visitor's bullpen.

6-5 Auburn, and again no shutdown inning.

 

[Alan Cole]

Jones played with fire there allowing two more flyouts to the track in left, but both stay in the yard. He's really lucky that wind is blowing out to right and not left.

6-5 Auburn, mid 6th.

 

[Alan Cole]

One-out walk to Braswell after he laid off a close 2-2 pitch and then the 3-2 was way outside. Some speed aboard as the tying run.

 

[Alan Cole]

Petry down on strikes for a third time (only the third time this season he's pick up the hat trick), then Messina walks. Up to Casas to keep the inning alive.

 

[Alan Cole]

Gavin Casas just hit a ball very, very far, but foul. He flipped his bat thinking he had a three-run homer. Foul ball instead.

It's under review, although I highly doubt there's eough evidence to overturn that.

 

[Alan Cole]

Yep, foul ball. Just an impossible call to overturn. 1-2 count for Casas now.

 

[Alan Cole]

Good battle from Casas, but on the 9th pitch he finally pops out into foul territory. Gamecocks have now stranded a staggering 27 runners this weekend, and still trail 6-5 going to the 7th inning. Wasted two walks there.

 

[Alan Cole]

Lead-off walk to the nine-hole hitter gets the 7th inning going.

Feel like that probably will come back to bite.

 

[Alan Cole]

Stanfield with a base hit (he's killed them all weekend) and now it's two on with nobody out. Chris Veach warming in the South Carolina bullpen.

 

[Alan Cole]

Big strikeout on Irish, one down. That's going to be it for Jones, giving way to Chris Veach.

 

[Alan Cole]

First pitch, base hit.

Cleanup hitter McMurray, who homered twice yesterday, is up with the bases loaded and one out. Chance to drop the hammer on the game and the sweep here for the Tigers.

 

[Alan Cole]

Tremendous, tremendous work from Chris Veach there. Gets a strikeout and a soft groudout to escape the jam.

Auburn strands the bases loaded, and the Gamecocks get a huge lift going to the bottom of the 7th still down just a run.

Veach did exactly what this team has sorely been needing all weekend from its pitchers: Kept the ball in the yard, and threw strikes.

 

[Alan Cole]

New Auburn pitcher is Drew Nelson, a lefty. He comes in to face the lefty Denny, gives up a rocket base hit into right, and that's it for him. LOOGY spot.

French greets him with a single, and it's two on with nobody out.

 

[Alan Cole]

Aaaaand another pitching change. Now it's Tanner Bauman.

If I didn't know any better I'd say Auburn was strying to stall for a travel curfew cut-off, but they took the bus here and don't have one.

Second and first, nobody out for Carson Hornung against Tanner Bauman.

 

[Alan Cole]

Oh my goodness. That has to be the most surprising moment in this season full of them.

Horung lined out to left and then on a 1-2 pitch Will Tippett -- who is hitting .130 and has no home runs this season -- absolutely blasted a 3-run home run out to left field. Unbelievable, to say the least.

8-6 Gamecocks on the unlikliest of all unlikely bombs.

 

[FCB 2013 treble]

TIPPETT!!!!!!!!!! Is this the first homerun for South Carolina in the series against Eagles?

 

[Alan Cole]

Dylan Brewer gets dinged by a pitch, and that's a piece of history.

The 90th HBP of the season for this team, breaking the school record for beanballs in a season set in 2010.

He then hops down to second on a bad pickoff throw, Auburn's third of the day aaaaaand that leads to another pitching change.

Kameron Keshock is in now.

 

[FCB 2013 treble]

Fourth pitching change in one inning?

 

[Alan Cole]

TIPPETT!!!!!!!!!! Is this the first homerun for South Carolina in the series against Eagles?

Second, Messina hit one yesterday.

 

[Alan Cole]

The Tippett blast. 399 feet and 102 MPH off the bat.

To the 8th, 8-6.

 

[FCB 2013 treble]

Second, Messina hit one yesterday.

I thought it was ruled foul ball.

 

[Alan Cole]

Cole Foster bounces one to the right side leading off the 8th....error by Casas.

Gamecocks still have to re-focus and get six outs here after that energy lift from the Tippett homer.

 

[Alan Cole]

I thought it was ruled foul ball.

That initial one was, yes. He hit one fair later in the day.

 

[FCB 2013 treble]

That initial one was, yes. He hit one fair later in the day.

Thanks.

 

[Alan Cole]

Second and first nobody out after a Howell single.

Pinch hitter Justin Kirby taps down to Messina at third. He steps on the bag and then fires over to first looking for a double play, but Kirby beats it down there. Still two on, now one out for LaRue, who already has a homer today.

 

[Alan Cole]

LaRue walks, and that loads the bases for Stanfield, who has killed South Carolina all weekend.

 

[Alan Cole]

Nick Proctor is warming up in the South Carolina bullpen. Pretty much the only guy you would consider a high leverage reliever who hasn't pitched yet this weekend.

 

[Alan Cole]

Stanfield flies to center, not deep enough for a tag. Two down, and it's up to Ike Irish.

 

[Alan Cole]

Irish pops out to Tippett (who else?) in foul territory and is out of the jam. Just an incredible job by Veach to strand six runners in the last two innings.

Gamecocks will try to add some insurance in the bottom half now, leading by two.

 

[Alan Cole]

Two out singles for Denny and French put runners on the corners for Hornung.

 

[Alan Cole]

Another new Auburn pitcher, this time Ryan Olson.

 

[Alan Cole]

Hornung flies out, South Carolina's 29th and 30th runners stranded of the weekend. Won't matter if Veach can get three more outs, though.

 

[Alan Cole]

First pitch of the 9th: Solo homer from Bobby Pierce.

8-7.

 

[Alan Cole]

And a walk to McMurray from an 0-2 count. Tying run aboard.

That's it for Veach, and now it's up to Nick Proctor to finish this one out.

 

[Alan Cole]

Josh Hall pinch running at first for McMurray. Proctor will face Ware, who has already homered twice today.

 

[cockofdawn]

And a walk to McMurray from an 0-2 count. Tying run aboard.

That's it for Veach, and now it's up to Nick Proctor to finish this one out.

You have GOT to kidding!!!

 

[Alan Cole]

What a play by Jonathan French, picking off Hall on the first pitch. Beautiful backpick, great tag by Casas and a massive first out.

 

[Alan Cole]

Ware singles to left. Tying run is back on base now, but the backpick looms even larger.

 

[Alan Cole]

Proctor strikes out Foster. Gamecocks are one out away from the win.

 

[Alan Cole]

And that's your ballgame as Braswell flips to Tippett (who else?) for the final out on a fielder's choice.

Crazy, crazy game but a badly needed win for South Carolina. Will be in Rock Hill on Wednesday for a road midweek, then at Kentucky next weekend starting on Friday.