The Gamecocks put on an outstanding performance tonight, putting together 13 hits to cruise to a 7-1 victory over No. 1 seed Virginia. While Carolina certainly got the bats going, the real story of the game was defensive play.
Virginia only managed five hits on the night, including their only score, a solo home run by John Hicks in the 4th inning. There were several great plays and outs from Christian Walker and Scott Wingo especially, but one gem of the night that stood out to me was the bases loaded, 1-2-3 double play that ended the fifth inning. Just after entering the game, John Taylor sidearmed a grounder back to Robert Beary for the out at home, then Beary fired it over to Walker at first to get the Gamecocks out of the jam. The play was wonderfully executed and was a great representation of the team's phenomenal play all evening.
Chants of "GAAAME... COCCCKKSSSS" and "S-E-C, S-E-C, S-E-C" were audible to the fans watching on TV at home. While fans in Omaha cheered in the stadium, fans watching from afar cheered from their couches and computers. It all made for a great game atmosphere, both in-person and at home!
With the win tonight, South Carolina matched the longest win streak in NCAA Tournament history with a 13-game streak dating back to last year. The Gamecocks will move on in the winners bracket to play on Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN3.com. They will face the winner of Virginia-California (Thursday, 7:00 p.m.)
I use Twitter during games from @SpursUpBlog and there is always lots of Gamecock conversation on the #Gamecocks hashtag so if you aren't already tweeting, come join the conversation on Twitter for Friday's game!
Go Gamecocks!
-Brittany
Virginia only managed five hits on the night, including their only score, a solo home run by John Hicks in the 4th inning. There were several great plays and outs from Christian Walker and Scott Wingo especially, but one gem of the night that stood out to me was the bases loaded, 1-2-3 double play that ended the fifth inning. Just after entering the game, John Taylor sidearmed a grounder back to Robert Beary for the out at home, then Beary fired it over to Walker at first to get the Gamecocks out of the jam. The play was wonderfully executed and was a great representation of the team's phenomenal play all evening.
Chants of "GAAAME... COCCCKKSSSS" and "S-E-C, S-E-C, S-E-C" were audible to the fans watching on TV at home. While fans in Omaha cheered in the stadium, fans watching from afar cheered from their couches and computers. It all made for a great game atmosphere, both in-person and at home!
With the win tonight, South Carolina matched the longest win streak in NCAA Tournament history with a 13-game streak dating back to last year. The Gamecocks will move on in the winners bracket to play on Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN3.com. They will face the winner of Virginia-California (Thursday, 7:00 p.m.)
I use Twitter during games from @SpursUpBlog and there is always lots of Gamecock conversation on the #Gamecocks hashtag so if you aren't already tweeting, come join the conversation on Twitter for Friday's game!
Go Gamecocks!
-Brittany
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