Ten years later, the defining moments from South Carolina’s 2010 CWS title run
Ten years ago this Monday, South Carolina baseball made history in Omaha, Nebraska, defeating UCLA 2-1 in extra innings to secure the program’s first national championship.
What was supposed to be a year-long celebration of that 2010 College World Series title was derailed this spring when the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of the season. But with the anniversary coming up of the day coach Ray Tanner and his squad hoisted the national title trophy, we look back and remember 10 of the greatest moments from that magical run.
Bayler Teal
In March of 2010, a 7-year-old boy named Bayler Teal threw out the first pitch before a game at Carolina Stadium. Diagnosed in 2008 with a form of cancer called neuroblastoma, Teal was visited in the hospital by Tanner and the entire Gamecock team — he became the squad’s inspiration throughout the season, and his cancer worsened.
Teal died on June 20, the same day his beloved Gamecocks were playing Oklahoma at the College World Series. South Carolina brought Bayler’s family, including father Rob, mother Risha and brother Bridges out to Omaha for the championship series and dedicated their play in the College World Series to him and his memory.
1,000 career wins
Tanner came to South Carolina in 1997 after establishing a perennial NCAA tournament team at N.C. State. Over the next 12 years, he quickly brought USC back to the top of college baseball and advanced to three College World Series.
And on April 11, he reached a major career milestone with his 1,000th career win, as the Gamecocks defeated Vanderbilt 2-0 to clinch the weekend series. Whit Merrifield and Adrian Morales drove in runs, and pitchers Jay Brown, Michael Roth and Matt Price combined for a shutout in which they faced the minimum 27 batters.
At 1,000-446-3, Tanner was the 44th coach in Division I history to reach 1,000 victories.
Furious rally late against Bucknell
Hosting a regional at Carolina Stadium and coming off a quick 0-2 exit from the SEC tournament, South Carolina kicked off its NCAA tournament run with a slow start against No. 4 seed Bucknell. The Bison took a 5-1 lead in the sixth inning after an hour-long rain delay earlier in the game.
Then USC’s bats came alive. Evan Marzilli drilled a two-run home run in the bottom half of the sixth, and Jackie Bradley Jr. and Adrian Morales both homered as part of a five-run eighth inning that blew the game wide open and got the Gamecocks back on track with a 9-5 win.
Christian Walker homers USC to the College World Series
Forced to go on the road to Coastal Carolina for the Super Regional round, the Gamecocks made their stay in Myrtle Beach a short, albeit thrilling, one. After scoring four runs in the first two innings of Game 1 and then holding on for a 4-3 win thanks to another outstanding performance from ace Blake Cooper, South Carolina’s lineup got going in Game 2. The only problem was, so did the Chanticleers.
In a back-and-forth affair, Coastal took a 9-7 lead in the top half of the eighth inning as the normally stingy USC pitching staff gave up its most runs in a month. Then, in the bottom half of the frame with two outs, Jackie Bradley Jr. walked and Adrian Morales doubled to bring slugger Christian Walker to the plate. Walker belted a three-run home run, standout reliever Matt Price retired the side, and the Gamecocks were back in the College World Series.
Dusting away the Sun Devils
USC’s trip to Omaha began with a narrow 4-3 loss to Oklahoma after Adrian Morales flied out in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded and two outs. Waiting in the second game was No. 1 national seed Arizona State, winner of 52 games.
In a do-or-die elimination game, the Gamecocks knocked the Sun Devils back almost immediately with an eight-run second inning — Scott Wingo hit a two-run double, Whit Merrifield connected on an RBI single and Jackie Bradley Jr. and Adrian Morales both homered.
From there, South Carolina cruised with Sam Dyson throwing 7 1/3 solid frames and Matt Price slamming the door shut to eliminate Arizona State and keep the team’s dream alive.
Bradley, Thomas come up clutch
Facing Oklahoma for the second time in three games, South Carolina and the Sooners once again battled it out in a thrilling contest. Down 1-0 in the eighth inning and needing any kind of offense to extend the game, the Gamecocks got a run across when Christian Walker singled home Evan Marzilli.
Into extra innings the two teams played, with both bullpens putting together strong performances to keep the offenses shut down. Finally in the 12th, Carolina reliever Ethan Carter broke, giving up a solo home run to put Oklahoma up 2-1.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Gamecocks put a man on second with two outs when Jackie Bradley Jr. came to the plate. With a 2-2 count, he took a pitch inside. Oklahoma pitcher Ryan Duke thought he had ended the game, but he and the Sooner faithful let out a collective groan as it was called a ball.
One pitch later, Bradley Jr. laced a ground ball single to drive in a run and tie the game. Two batters later, Brady Thomas broke out of an 0-for-5 night with a single up the middle to score Bradley for the walk-off win.
The legend of Michael Roth
The story is almost too perfect to be real — the sophomore lefty with an underwhelming fastball and exactly zero starts on the season to his name gets the call against the greatest of arch-rivals, Clemson, and proceeds to throw a complete-game gem with only one run on three hits and a walk.
And yet it really happened. Michael Roth’s magnificent performance handcuffed the Tigers all night long and the Gamecocks scored a run each in the first, second, third, fourth and sixth innings to steadily collect more than enough of a lead to force a second, winner-take-all game against Clemson.
Of course, the game also jump-started Roth’s career, with All-American junior and senior seasons that established him as one of the greatest college baseball pitchers in recent memory.
Double jeopardy against Clemson
Having beaten Clemson once thanks to Roth, the Gamecocks had to come right back and play the Tigers again the next day. In an agonizingly close contest, Carolina jumped ahead in the first when Christian Walker hit into a bases-loaded double play, only for Clemson to tie it in the third.
Walker responded in the fourth with a solo home run, but Clemson tied it right back up in the seventh inning when a throwing error allowed a run to score. With two outs, freshman reliever Matt Price came on for Sam Dyson and got out of the frame, setting up Walker to deliver his third RBI of the night with a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh. Adrian Morales followed with another RBI single to give USC a 4-2 lead and some breathing room.
Price immediately ran into trouble in the eighth, giving up a leadoff triple. But after a groundout scored the runner to make it 4-3, he recovered for a scoreless ninth to secure the win. Price would go on to become one of the best relief pitchers of the decade.
Whit Merrifield walks it off
In the championship series against UCLA, the Gamecocks took an easy 7-1 win in Game 1 thanks to an eight-inning effort from pitcher Blake Cooper, hits from every starter in the lineup and three RBI from shortstop Bobby Haney, defeating future MLB All-Star Gerrit Cole.
In Game 2, Michael Roth came back to throw a solid five innings, giving up just one run. But the Bruins’ pitching staff refused to be cracked, and the Gamecocks trailed 1-0 after seven innings. Finally, USC got some help as a throwing error allowed pinch runner Robert Beary to score and tie the game.
South Carolina went into extra innings for the second time that College World Series. In the 11th inning, Scott Wingo led off with a walk, advanced to second on a passed ball and made it to third off a sacrifice bunt. Then Whit Merrifield stepped to the plate, took two balls and, with one swing, made Gamecock history.
This story was originally published June 27, 2020 at 10:09 AM with the headline "Ten years later, the defining moments from South Carolina’s 2010 CWS title run."
