Enjoy it, Gamecock fans. You now have your second "wow" moment of the 2010 College World Series. A night after South Carolina survives on a dramatic walk-off in extra innings, sophomore Michael Roth turns in the pitching performance of the season to keep the Gamecocks alive in Omaha.
Used as a situational left-hander throughout the season, Roth was called on to start in an elimination game against archrival Clemson and threw a complete game three-hitter to help Carolina win 5-1 on Friday night at Rosenblatt Stadium.
"What can you say about Michael Roth?" said South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner. "That was one of the most impressive performances I've ever had a man pitch for me."
Roth threw 109 pitches over nine innings, allowing one earned run and striking out four batters. Keeping Clemson's heavy left-handed hitting lineup off-balance all night, he got 17 ground-ball outs against the Tigers. Clemson's left-handed hitters were 1-for-22 against Roth.
To give Roth's performance some perspective, his season high for pitches thrown in an appearance before tonight was 38. His longest career outing: 4 1/3 innings. Before tonight, he had thrown 370 pitches all season. Only 14 of his 35 appearances in 2010 lasted more than an inning.
No one, not even Roth, expected the start to finish the way it did.
"I just went out there and tried to throw inning after inning. I told Coach I'd throw until my arm fell off," he said. "I really expected to go five and after that I just kept taking it one inning at a time."
Tanner thought Roth would put the Gamecocks in a good position, but after three or four innings. Not nine.
"My confidence level was that he'd get the game started for us and then we'd have to figure out what we were going to have to do," he said.
Clemson head coach Jack Leggett certainly wasn't expecting his hitters to struggle for nine against a relief pitcher.
"I didn't think when the game started that they would ride him that long, but they were having success and getting quick outs," he said.
Clemson's second baseman Mike Freeman said Roth's pitching kept the Tigers out of sync all night.
"It was definitely his night. We couldn't get anything going on offense," he said. "You have to give him a lot of credit for making his pitches when he needed to."
"It's tough against a sidearm lefty," said Roth. "They tried to make adjustments and I kept coming in on them. They just kept jamming themselves. I mainly threw fastballs in and sliders away."
College World Series Game 4 Notes
-In the 2010 College World Series, Roth has a 0.79 ERA in three appearances. Opponents are hitting just .075 against him (3-for-40).
-The last complete game pitched by a Gamecock in the CWS was in 2002 by Steve Bondurant against Clemson.
-The Gamecocks improve to 20-1 when holding an opponent to two runs or less.
-South Carolina is now 100-56 in NCAA Tournament play. The Gamecocks are 8-1 in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
-Tonight's game took 2:22, the quickest CWS game since UNC defeated Clemson, 2-0, in 2006.
Used as a situational left-hander throughout the season, Roth was called on to start in an elimination game against archrival Clemson and threw a complete game three-hitter to help Carolina win 5-1 on Friday night at Rosenblatt Stadium.
"What can you say about Michael Roth?" said South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner. "That was one of the most impressive performances I've ever had a man pitch for me."
Roth threw 109 pitches over nine innings, allowing one earned run and striking out four batters. Keeping Clemson's heavy left-handed hitting lineup off-balance all night, he got 17 ground-ball outs against the Tigers. Clemson's left-handed hitters were 1-for-22 against Roth.
To give Roth's performance some perspective, his season high for pitches thrown in an appearance before tonight was 38. His longest career outing: 4 1/3 innings. Before tonight, he had thrown 370 pitches all season. Only 14 of his 35 appearances in 2010 lasted more than an inning.
No one, not even Roth, expected the start to finish the way it did.
"I just went out there and tried to throw inning after inning. I told Coach I'd throw until my arm fell off," he said. "I really expected to go five and after that I just kept taking it one inning at a time."
Tanner thought Roth would put the Gamecocks in a good position, but after three or four innings. Not nine.
"My confidence level was that he'd get the game started for us and then we'd have to figure out what we were going to have to do," he said.
Clemson head coach Jack Leggett certainly wasn't expecting his hitters to struggle for nine against a relief pitcher.
"I didn't think when the game started that they would ride him that long, but they were having success and getting quick outs," he said.
Clemson's second baseman Mike Freeman said Roth's pitching kept the Tigers out of sync all night.
"It was definitely his night. We couldn't get anything going on offense," he said. "You have to give him a lot of credit for making his pitches when he needed to."
"It's tough against a sidearm lefty," said Roth. "They tried to make adjustments and I kept coming in on them. They just kept jamming themselves. I mainly threw fastballs in and sliders away."
College World Series Game 4 Notes
-In the 2010 College World Series, Roth has a 0.79 ERA in three appearances. Opponents are hitting just .075 against him (3-for-40).
-The last complete game pitched by a Gamecock in the CWS was in 2002 by Steve Bondurant against Clemson.
-The Gamecocks improve to 20-1 when holding an opponent to two runs or less.
-South Carolina is now 100-56 in NCAA Tournament play. The Gamecocks are 8-1 in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
-Tonight's game took 2:22, the quickest CWS game since UNC defeated Clemson, 2-0, in 2006.
GREAT JOB ROTH!!! GOOO FIGHTING YARDCOCKS!!!