Game 5: #7 South Carolina 11, #3 Florida 3
HOOVER, Ala. (AP) -- A day after blowing a four-run lead in the ninth inning, South Carolina scored five runs in the second inning Thursday and made it stand in an 11-3 victory over Florida in the second round of the Southeastern Conference baseball tournament.
South Carolina advances to play either LSU or Vanderbilt at 3 p.m. CDT Friday. The loss knocked Florida out of the double-elimination tournament.
The Gamecocks, who lost 5-4 to LSU in Wednesday's opening-round after leading 4-0 in the ninth, jumped out to an early lead Thursday when they sent 11 batters to the plate in the second inning and scored five runs on five hits and three walks.
Parker Bangs, Harley Lail and Resse Havens each had an RBI hit to chase Florida starter Billy Bullock (4-4) after only 1 1/3 innings.
Florida, which had scored a run in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly by Brandon McArthur, added runs in the third and fifth innings to narrow the gap to 5-3. McArthur delivered another RBI on a single to center field in the third, and Cole Figueroa had an RBI single in the fifth.
James Darnell led off the bottom of the fifth with a double, advanced to third on a throwing error and scored on a fielder's choice ground out by Phil Disher to give South Carolina a 6-3 lead.
The Gamecocks blew the game open in the eighth with another five-run inning, capped by Justin Smoak's three-run homer. It was the 60th home run of his career.
South Carolina starter Nick Godwin (7-3) gave up three runs in seven innings and struck out seven to pick up the win. Mike Cisco pitched two scoreless innings to close the game.
Florida Quotes
FLORIDA HEAD COACH KEVIN SULLIVAN
Opening comment... "First of all I want to thank everyone who helps put together this tournament, they have done a terrific job. As far as South Carolina goes, they played a great game. We got an early lead and they answered it and never looked back. We tried to keep chipping away at the lead but their pitchers made pitches when they had to. We have to tip our hat to them because they played a great game and that is the way it goes sometimes. They played better than we did today."
On the second inning... "It is tough to play from behind against anyone. It wasn't the runs that hurt so much as allowing them to have a big inning like that. We gave up to many hits when we had two strikes on them."
BRANDON MCARTHUR, FIRST BASEMAN
On the game... "Like coach said, it is an honor to play in this tournament. I am disappointed that we didn't get the chance to get a little farther but I have to tip my hat to South Carolina. They played well today and had us chasing them all day."
MATT DEN DEKKER, CENTERFIELDER
On the game... "It has been an honor to be here. This is my second SEC tournament and I knew coming here that each game is going to be a battle. We really got it handed to us today. We are disappointed and this is not what we wanted to come down here and do after working so hard to get here."
South Carolina Quotes
SOUTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH RAY TANNER
Opening comment... "I thought that the big key to today's game was that we only had one walk.They got some good hits against us, but we had those two big innings. I know that coaches say this all the time, but I'm rally proud of our guys. The bounced back from yesterday, which was a tough loss for us, but they responded and got the win. That just shows the kind of character this team has. I'm delighted that we are staying here."
On Nick Godwin... "I thought that Nick had pretty good legs on his fastball. He was throwing some change-ups, breaking balls and sliders, but he could really make batters freeze with his fastballs. I think he was throwing in the upper 80s. He hasn't thrown in many SEC games and didn't have many oppourtunities last year, but he's had more this year and he has cashed in on them. I thought he was tremendous. I feel good that he is wearing our uniform."
MIKE CISCO, PITCHER
On Nick Godwin's performance... "Yesterday left us with a bad feeling, but Godwin did what he needed to do. He carried the team on his back. I just wanted to keep tha game going when I came in."
NICK GODWIN, PITCHER
On the game... "I just knew that I had to come out and give our team a chance. Florida was able to put up some runs, but I did what I needed to do to keep us alive and keep us in this tournament."
JUSTIN SMOAK, FIRST BASEMAN
On the game... "Today was a big win. Yesterday was tough, and having Nick and Mike come in and pitch as well as they did was big for us."
On setting school records... "It's just an honor. Having the RBI and homerun record is nice, but I want to win ball games. I just do what I need to do to win ball games, but this is nice."
Game Notes
Game 6: #5 Alabama 5, #1 Georgia 2
HOOVER, Ala. (AP) -- Austin Hyatt retired 20 consecutive Georgia batters during a complete-game four-hitter to lead Alabama to a 5-2 victory over the Bulldogs on Thursday in the second round of the Southeastern Conference baseball tournament.
Hyatt (4-4) gave up an RBI double to Bryce Massanari in the first inning. He then retired the Bulldogs in order from the second inning through the seventh.
Georgia finally got another base runner when Jake Crane singled through the left side of the infield with one out in the eighth.
Alabama (33-25) advances to play either Kentucky or Ole Miss at approximately 6:30 p.m. CDT Friday. The top-seeded Bulldogs (35-21-1) were knocked out of the double-elimination tournament without winning a game for the first time since 2002.
After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first, the Crimson Tide came right back with a run in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Matt Bentley that scored Josh Rutledge from third base.
Alabama then scored three runs in the third inning to take a 4-1 lead. Rutledge led off with a double to right field and Ross Wilson brought him home with a single up the middle. That was followed by an RBI single from Brandon May, who later came home on a throwing error by the Bulldogs.
Rutledge, May and Wilson each had two hits for the Tide.
Georgia starter Stephen Dodson (5-3) took the loss, allowing seven hits and four runs - three earned - in five innings.
Georgia Quotes
GEORGIA HEAD COACH DAVID PERNO
Opening comment... "This has been a tough couple of games down here. On the bright side, our pitching is where it was a month ago and that is what we needed to see. We just have to get our line-up in order and start hitting the ball the way we were a couple of weeks and we will be alright. We are looking forward to playing in the NCAA Tournament next week."
On being a one seed in the NCAA tournament... "You have to play no matter where you go. We are excited to have the opportunity to be in the field. The bottom line is you have to play no matter what your seed is. We have played well on the road all year so it is not a problem with us where we end up playing."
GORDON BECKHAM, SHORTSTOP
On the game... "I think we hit pretty good today even though a lot really didn't fall for us. I think we played and came out to compete. We wanted to win obviously, but it just didn't happen."
STEPHEN DODSON, PITCHER
On the game... "I got behind on a lot of guys and that makes my job a lot tougher. They hit some balls really hard and their offense really came through for them."
Alabama Quotes
ALABAMA HEAD COACH JIM WELLS
Opening comment... "I'm very proud of this team. I thought they bounced back after last night with the time the game ended and the outcome of the game. It really shows the character that this team has, and I just thought they were tremendous. I thought that it was outstanding, and it was just what we needed, not just for this tournament but future tournaments."
On (Austin) Hyatt throwing a complete game... "It definitely helps. This is the kind of thing you want to do on the opening days of a tournament. It helps us keep Graham in longer now. We wouldn't put him as a starter, but have him come in as relief sooner."
AUSTIN HYATT, PITCHER
On his performance... "I just did our gameplan. I threw a lot of first pitch strikes. We had to make them hit. It's a big ballpark. We just did what we needed to do to win."
ROSS WILSON, SECOND BASEMAN
On playing in his hometown... "It really didn't change much. I just wanted to play well. Every kid dreams of playing here during the SEC Tournament, so I wanted to play well. For the team, this was a big game. It gives us a lot of momentum after last night."
Game 7: #2 LSU 8, #6 Vanderbilt 2
HOOVER, Ala. (AP) -- Derek Helenihi hit a three-run homer and Blake Martin allowed four hits and one earned run in seven innings as LSU defeated Vanderbilt 8-2 on Thursday in the second round of the Southeastern Conference baseball tournament.
The Tigers (41-16-1) have now won 18 consecutive games, the longest winning streak in college baseball. They have not lost since April 19.
Vanderbilt (38-19) will play South Carolina at approximately 3:00 p.m. CDT Friday in an elimination game. LSU receives a bye Friday and advances into Saturday's semifinal round of the double-elimination tournament.
Martin (5-3) was in control for much of the game. His only serious trouble came in the seventh, when Vanderbilt loaded the bases with one out. But Martin got out of the inning allowing only one run, on a sacrifice fly by Parker Hanks.
A sloppy fourth inning by Vanderbilt enabled the Tigers to take a 4-1 lead. After Vandy starter Caleb Cotham (7-5) opened the inning by hitting Helenihi with a pitch, LSU reeled off four consecutive hits. The Commodores also committed two throwing errors at third base, allowing a runner to score each time.
An inning later, Helenihi hit only his third home run of the season, giving the Tigers a 7-1 lead and chasing Cotham from the game.
The bottom third of the order came up big for LSU. D.J. LeMahieu and Leon Landry both went 2-for-4, and Ryan Schimpf had two RBI.
Hanks had both of Vandy's RBIs. He hit a home run in the third inning that gave Vanderbilt a 1-0 lead. It was only his fourth homer of the season.
Vanderbilt Quotes
VANDERBILT HEAD COACH TIM CORBIN
Opening statement... "We played a very good team tonight. The story of the game was the two big innings they had against us. I thought the turning point of the game was the hit by pitch. They got hits all night long including a two strike homerun. Some positives from the game included our pitching towards the end of the game but now we have to go out and play better tomorrow."
On the errors in the fifth inning... "We didn't slow the game down. We let it spin out of control there for a while witha couple of over throws that hurt a lot. We felt the game momentum swing over to the other dugout. After that they squared up for another hit and for a time there the game was really out of ocntrol for us. I got the guys together and told them to just slow things a bit because it was only 4-1 at that point and we still had a chance to comeback. It was unforunate."
CALEB COTHAM, PITCHER
On the game... "It was a tough one for us today. LSU really broke the game open in those two innings. We never really answered their rally but we have to come back and play really well from here on out."
PARKER HANKS, DESIGNATED HITTER
On the game... "In the fifth and sixth innings, I made some mistakes and they hit those balls oretty hard. With a team as good as LSU you cannot make mistakes or they will really make you pay for that."
LSU Quotes
LSU HEAD COACH PAUL MAINIERI
Opening statement... "It was a big win tonight for the Tigers. This was a pivotal game for us. It put us in the final bracket where someone has to beat you twice, and that is a very comforting thing. It takes some stress off of your pitching staff. This team amazes me more everyday. That first inning looked like their pitcher was going to overmatch us, but you wouldn't have been able to tell that in the dugout. They were not in a panic, and were able to piece together some great hits."
On his pitchers in the tournament... "I would not trade Verdugo or Martin for anything. They are both consistent and continue to challenge hitters and set the tone of the game. If I was a position player, I would love to play behind them because they allow batters to hit, so you would be able to make those defensive stops. I just thought that they both played great."
BLAKE MARTIN, PITCHER
On his performance... "I just came in and tried to get as deep in the game as I could. In tournaments, you want to save your pitching as much as possible. I just tried to throw strikes. I thought our defense was amazing. Once we got those seven runs, I still tried to throw strikes and let them put the ball into play."
RYAN SCHIMPF, SECOND BASEMAN
On the game... "You have to give Blake Martin a lot of credit tonight. He pitched a heck of a game. We had some big hits with Derek Helenihi hitting that homerun and Leon Landry coming in big for us twice. All the credit goes to Blake because when you can pitch like that, it makes it a little bit easier on you."
Game 8: #8 Ole Miss 8, #4 Kentucky 7
HOOVER, Ala. (AP) -- Michael Guerrero ripped a line-drive home run over the left-field fence in the bottom of the ninth to give Ole Miss a wild 8-7 victory over Kentucky on Thursday night in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament.
The lead changed hands four times in the final three innings. Kentucky had taken a 7-6 lead in the top of the ninth on a triple by Sawyer Carroll and a sacrifice fly by Collin Cowgill.
Jake Morgan (3-1) picked up the victory for the Rebels, while Scott Green (6-4) took the loss.
Kentucky (42-16) will play Alabama at 6:30 p.m. Friday in an elimination game. Ole Miss (36-22) receives a bye Friday and advances to Saturday's semifinal round.
The Rebels took a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run homer by Matt Smith, who went 2-for-4 with four RBI.
Kentucky tied the game 6-6 in the eighth, using an Ole Miss error to score an unearned run, with Keenan Wiley driving in Troy Frazier for the second time in the game.
The Rebels jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third, keyed by a two-run single from Smith.
Kentucky tied the game 3-3 in the top of the fourth. The big hit for the Wildcats was a two-run double down the left-field line by Chris Wade.
Ole Miss regained the lead 4-3 in the bottom of the inning without the benefit of a hit. Kentucky starter James Paxton walked Zach Miller, who advanced to third following an errant pick-off attempt. Miller then scored on a sacrifice fly by Tim Ferguson.
Kentucky tied it back up in the sixth when Frazier doubled down the left-field line and scored on single by Wiley.
The Wildcats took a 5-4 lead in the seventh, taking advantage of a throwing error by Ole Miss third baseman Cody Overbeck. Collin Cowgill reached second base on the error and then scored on a single through the left side by Brian Spear.
Kentucky Quotes
KENTUCKY HEAD COACH JOHN COHEN
Opening statement... "We have had great success against Ole Miss the last few times we've played. We threw two bad pitches in the last couple of innings. I felt they had to win this game to get into a regional. I am pleased with the way our kids competed, but Ole Miss took two great swings when it really mattered. I think overall we played a better game but that is how it works sometimes."
On the last pitch... "It was a fastball that was up in the zone. We were killing them with the slider but you can't live on that. We had to switch it up some and throw some fastballs to set-up the slider later on. They got a pretty good swing on it. I think he started his swing about two minutes early but that is what you have to do against a guy like Scott Green and it worked out well for them."
Ole Miss Quotes
OLE MISS HEAD COACH MIKE BIANCO
On the game... "It was really a game of answers. We would score three. They scored three. They scored one. We scored one. They took the lead, and then we took it back. It was really a great, great college baseball game. It was disappointing that we lost some of the leads, but I'm really proud of the guys for fighting back. I'm proud of our pitchers for not hanging their heads."
On Guerrero's homerun... "I got pretty emotional. It's about as good as I felt in a while. Michael has been hitting pretty well. In batting practice the last few days, he's been so terrific at the plate. I'm right where it is in the dugout, so I know that it is going out. We were pretty excited. We put a lot into this, so it's nice to win a game like that."
JAKE MORGAN, PITCHER
On the game... "It was a wonderful game. Everybody kept fighting. It's really nice to get the win today and get tomorrow off. I knew our team is really strong. We have seen it over the season how we have came back and won games."
MICHAEL GUERRERO, OUTFIELD
On the game and his performance... "All I could think was wow. I was making good swings all I night, and I knew that it was going to happen sometime for me to hit a ball real deep. When they scored that last run, I wasn't really worried about it. I knew that we were going to come through."