Facing elimination: South Carolina baseball drops NCAA regional game to NC State

South Carolina must find a way to win three games in two days if they hope to extend their season past the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

The No. 2 seeded Gamecocks dropped a 6-4 decision to No. 1-seeded North Carolina State Saturday night in the winner’s bracket game. Matthew Becker walked in the winning run with two outs in the seventh inning.

South Carolina (37-24) will play James Madison on Sunday at noon in an elimination contest. The Wolfpack (35-20) awaits the winner of the noon game at 6 p.m. on Sunday. The winner of the early elimination game will have to beat NC State twice while the Wolfpack will only need one more win to advance to the Super Regionals. James Madison eliminated Bryant 8-1 earlier on Saturday.

Up until the bottom half of the seventh, all the runs came via the long ball. Dylan Brewer, forced into action due to the hairline fracture to Ethan Petry left hand, responded with two home runs, his fifth and sixth of the year. Brewer hadn’t started since April 26 and his last home run before Saturday came on March 30.

Brewer had a solo shot in the fifth inning and a two-run blast in the seventh inning, both times tying the game. Will Tippett homered for the second day in a row in a seven-hit effort by the Gamecocks.

The Wolfpack scored the winning run thanks to three walks issued in the bottom of the seventh inning. Connor McCreery relieved starter Garrett Gainey and allowed a single and a walk before getting a long fly ball out to the warning track.

Matthew Becker then walked two, the last being Alex Sosa, to force in the winning run. NC State added an insurance run in the eighth. Matt Heavner had a bunt single, moved to second on a sacrifice and third on a ground out. The Gamecocks had him picked off third, but the throw hit him in the helmet and bounded into the stands, allowing him to score.

NCAA Tournament scores, schedule

Friday’s games

South Carolina 8, James Madison 7 (10 inn.)

N.C. State 9, Bryant 2

Saturday’s games

James Madison 8, Bryant 1 (Bryant eliminated)

N.C. State vs. South Carolina, 6 p.m.

Sunday’s games

Elimination game, noon (TV TBD, streaming on ESPN+)

Winner’s bracket game, 6 p.m. (TV TBD, streaming on ESPN+)

Monday’s game

If necessary, TBD (TV TBD, streaming on ESPN+)