South Carolina Grinds Way to Repeat Title

South Carolina made it look easy Tuesday night as they beat the Gators for the second time in two days to clinch the 2011 College Baseball National Title.  The reason the game may have looked so easy for the Gamecocks is due to the fact that their two previous games required walk-off game winners along with jaw dropping defensive plays to get out of jam after jam with the game on the line.  South Carolina has become known for their reputation of living on the edge.  After grinding out close games, winning by three runs must have been a walk in the park.

In Game 1, South Carolina continued to rely on the late game heroics that had been their constant theme throughout the tourney.  The drama heated up in the bottom of the ninth inning Monday night as the Gators managed to load the bases with no outs.  A deep pop-fly or a ground ball anywhere other than right at an infielder (all of whom were playing in to prevent giving up the game-winning run) would have won the game.  This situation was not unfamiliar to the Gamecocks, as we outlined in our June 27th article "Dores Done, Cavs Crumble equals an All-SEC Final," the Cocks allowed Virginia to load the bases in extra innings three different times, but managed to sneak by without giving up a single run.  But all of those situations occurred with one or more outs meaning a double play (if there was only one out) would simply end the inning.  This was not the case Monday night when South Carolina loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the ninth and Tyler Thompson at the plate. Thompson hit a sharp grounder up the middle where second baseman Scott Wingo made a diving play and managed to throw the ball in direction of home plate. Where catcher Robert Beary did his best first baseman impression as he picked the poor throw from the dirt to get the first out.  Daniel Pigott then smashed a one-hopper to Wingo who started the 4-2-3 double-play to end the inning and send the game to extras.

But the Gamecocks wouldn't let the fun stop there. In extra's Florida's SEC Player of the Year stepped up to the plate with the winning run on second and delivered a base hit into left field.  South Carolina outfielder Jake Williams fielded the one-hopper and threw home for a play at the plate where Beary tagged the runner to again keep Carolina's hopes alive.  The game moved into the top of the eleventh still tied at one.  South Carolina first baseman Christian Walker singled and then stole second.  Florida catcher Mike Zunino threw down to second only to see his ball fly over second base and into center field as Walker took off toward third.  Then center fielder Bryson Smith overthrew third base allowing Walker to easily score the eventual game-winning run.

Game 2 didn't display nearly the same drama as game 1, but ended with the same result, a South Carolina win.  Micheal Roth kept the Gator bats at bay as he pitched into the eighth inning, only allowing two runs.  Carolina scored three runs in the third on two hits and an error by shortstop Nolan Fontana which would have ended the inning with only one run scored.  Up three runs Carolina never looked back tacking on insurance runs in the sixth and eighth to seal the deal on their second College World Series title in as many years.

South Carolina has been unbelievable in the NCAA tournament. Over the last two years, the Gamecocks have won sixteen straight tournament  games en route to two national titles.  This streak rivals any postseason winning streak including the UCLA basketball postseason winning streak (67-73) in which UCLA won 38 straight tournament games. Why is South Carolina's streak that has not even amassed half the wins of UCLA's just as impressive?

The simple fact is that baseball win streaks are more difficult to come by because baseball relies so heavily on pitching.  Unlike basketball where the starting lineup remains constant (barring an injuries which are apart of both sports and therefore are considered negligible in this argument), baseball teams must follow a pitching rotation meaning that the team may not always be putting out their top flight pitchers even during the tournament.  Whereas star basketball players can play every night and produce big numbers for their team, baseball teams do not have such a luxury and must rely on multiple pitchers to produce.  With one weak link, one off night from the number three or four man in the rotation, and the streak would have been snapped.  However, South Carolina has shown time and time again (16 times in fact) that their weak link is extremely difficult to find, so difficult that I am left questioning whether they have one.  Because of their top to bottom strength and incredible depth, South Carolina was able top off their impressive streak with their second title.

Double Coverage Sports would like to Congratulate the 2011 South Carolina Baseball team on their second consecutive National Championship.

Go Cocks,
Marcus