COLOMBIA – Andrew Eyster came in with the chance to win the game.
What else was he supposed to do?
Eyster, quickly becoming nicknamed “Clemson Killer”, smoked his second RBI walk-off single in a few days on February 28, sending South Carolina’s No. 16 to a decisive 8-7 victory over archrival Tigers. It seemed too perfect to understand, Eyster having another chance to deliver less than 24 hours after getting a single to beat Clemson 3-2 in Greenville.
Still, with two eliminations and Brady Allen on second base, Eyster picked up ball one, then pushed his baton gently towards Evan Estridge’s next offer, just trying to hit it somewhere.
And again, a Clemson outfielder was left frantically chasing something he knew he couldn’t catch. The ball nestled in the center-right grass when Allen crossed home, causing a wave from the Founders Park reserve to attack Eyster on second base.
“Practically the exact situation with Brady in second and Wes (Clarke) in first. I just don’t think it could have been better elaborated, ”said Eyster. “The ball looked very unstable, and I gave it a good swing and made good contact.”
Eyster entered the series with 0.455 against Clemson in his career. He had five more hits in both games.
And not only did he hit the win in both games, but he also hit the equalizer in the seventh inning of game 2. The Gamecocks let a 5-3 lead turn into a 7-5 deficit due to an eruption of bad move and bad defense, but the Eyster rope in the middle that escaped the second base bag made the 7-7, establishing the ninth.
Clemson’s coach Monte Lee, in the game for life, knows that sometimes it does. Maybe it’s not due to the same guy in two days, but it happens.
“The biggest conclusion of the two games is that we launched very well in one game and, in the other, we had a great start,” said Lee. “But we just didn’t do what we needed to do outside the bullpen, and we rocked the bats well today.”
Freshman Will Sanders won his second win in the series after getting rid of a nasty predicament in Game 1, and then stranding two Clemson runners in Game 9. Clarke, continuing his impressive season, hit two home runs, giving him eight in six games.
USC coach Mark Kingston was pleased with the victory in the series, but he knew there was a lot to work on and a long way to go. Gamecocks defense was an adventure in Game 2.
“It’s a great weekend. That’s right, ”he said. “But it was not a super regional weekend. They are not going to distribute golden tickets to Omaha after today. There is still a lot of time for the season, there is a lot to improve ”.
However, even he had to say, with reservations, that it was almost divine intervention to make Eyster have a chance to win again and see him overcome again.
“When he came to the plate, we knew he had a chance,” said Kingston. “I don’t want to talk about it too much. It’s like talking about a non-hitter on the seventh entry. “
Eyster, the man of the weekend, reflected on his second Tigers win in the series.
“It means more to me, the longer I am here and the more I realized what this rivalry means,” he said. “It means a lot to so many people, and being able to help us win these first two games and win the series, it means a lot.”
The teams will finish the series on May 11 at Clemson, playing the February 26 game that was postponed due to rain.
Clemson hosts East Tennessee State on March 2 before starting to play ACC with a set of three games hosting Notre Dame on March 5. Gamecocks play in Winthrop on March 2nd and face Mercer in a set of three games this weekend.
Follow David Cloninger on Twitter @DCPandC.