South Carolina beats Virginia, heads to CWS championship

OMAHA -- Defending champion South Carolina produced its third walk-off win in its last four College World Series games and fourth in its last eight when it outlasted top seed Virginia 3-2 in 13 innings Friday to earn a date against Florida in the best-of-three championship series that begins Monday.

The No. 4 Gamecocks (53-14) won on two throwing errors by Virginia relief pitcher Cody Winiarski after both bullpens had carried their teams into night by escaping jam after jam. South Carolina set an NCAA record by winning its 14th consecutive playoff game.

"They had their opportunites, we had ours," said Gamecock coach Ray Tanner. "They escaped a couple of jams, we escaped a couple. This game certainly could have gone either way, we hung in there and were fortunate to get a couple breaks at the end."

Virginia, which lost to South Carolina 7-1 earlier in the Series, sent ace Danny Hultzen to the mound, the No. 2 overall pick in this month's major league draft. He was beyond overpowering, striking out the first six batters and eight in three innings. But flu-like symptoms forced Hultzen from the game in the fourth.

"We get in the box and it was strikeout, strikeout, strikeout," Tanner said. "We didn't have an answer. He was that good."

South Carolina countered with Michael Roth, who carried a 13-3 record and 0.97 earned run average. He was solid but the game was decided by the relievers, particularly closers Branden Kline and Matt Price.

Both delivered their longest outings of the season: Kline went five innings for the Cavaliers, allowing three hits and no runs. He contributed seven of Virginia's 18 total strikeouts. Price pitched 5⅔ innings for the Gamecocks, giving up seven his and five walks but never allowing a run.

"Branden just went out there and kept battling," O'Connor said. "It was kind of like Price and Kline going toe-to-toe out there."

The Cavaliers took the lead on Kenny Swab's double-play grounder in the second inning, ending Roth's string of 38⅓ innings without allowing an earned run. Brady Thomas' two-run double gave South Carolina the lead in the fourth, but two errors gift-wrapped the tying run for Virginia (56-12) in the eighth.

The Gamecocks loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of that inning, but Kline struck out Jackie Bradley, Jr., and Adrian Morales to squelch the threat. That began a string of threats from both teams that fizzled until the bottom of the 13th.

Virginia left the bases loaded in the 10th inning and could not score after loading the bases again in the 12th, when pinch hitter Shane Halley hit into an inning-ending double play. South Carolina put its first two men on base in the bottom of the 12th but failed to score.

The Cavaliers loaded the bases with no one out in the 13th inning but Price fanned Chris Taylor and John Barr lined into a double play at second base.

Winiarski came on for Kline in the 13th and gave up a leadoff single to Thomas. Winiarski tried to get the out at second base on Peter Mooney's bunt but threw wildly and both runners were safe. Winiarski tried for a force at third base on Robert Beary's sacrifice, but his throw was wide and rolled down the left field line as pinch-runner Adam Matthews scored the decisive run.

"They were plays we practice every day," Winiarski said. "I just didn't execute."

It was a horrible case of déjà vu for the Cavaliers. They were eliminated two years in 12 innings by Arkansas after going 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position. They were 1-for-13 Friday night.

"We had a game like this two years ago," O'Connor said. "Tonight we had multiple opportunities and just couldn't capitalize. South Carolina obviously has something very, very special going on. They just seem to find a way."

Both the Gamecocks and Florida have reached the final series with 3-0 records in Omaha, only the second time this has happened since the best-of-three format was adopted in 2003.

South Carolina and Florida both compete in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference and shared the regular season title along with Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks won two of three games from the Gators during the regular season in late March.