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Michael Braswell's Clutch Play Leads Gamecocks To SEC Opening Win

South Carolina's Baseball team fought back to pull off a series opening win against the Georgia Bulldogs, thanks largely to the play of Michael Braswell.
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Mark Kingston and the South Carolina Gamecocks have overcome every challenge thrown their way to this point in the season, mainly in part due to their power hitting when at the plate. On Saturday afternoon, however, South Carolina was faced with a task they weren't presented much in non-conference play, as they relinquished the lead late in the contest and were forced to string together quality plate appearances and solid defensive plays to win their SEC opener.

Before they reached this climatic series of events, the majority of the game saw little action, as through the first five innings of play, Georgia Starter Jaden Woods and South Carolina starter Will Sanders kept the opposing batting lineups off balance with their mixture of fastballs and a signature off-speed pitch, which for Sanders was his changeup. The Gamecocks got to Woods early on, as Cole Messina and Ethan Petry each hit absolute rockets over the left and right centerfield walls, respectively, while Will McGillis hit a long-ranging bloop double in right to bring home Talmadge LeCroy in the second inning. All these at-bats gave the Gamecocks a 3-1 advantage heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, where the tables were turned on South Carolina.

After giving up a single earlier in the inning, Sanders would throw a fastball over the plate that Parks Harber would crush to left field, tying the game and swinging all the momentum towards the Bulldogs. Georgia would then tack on another run in the following inning to give themselves a one-run lead, their first outright lead of the game.

After missing an opportunity to score in the eighth inning, the Gamecocks came up to bat in the top of the ninth, down to their final three outs. After Talmadge LeCroy and Will McGillis reached base, with one out, Michael Braswell came on to pinch hit for centerfielder Dylan Brewer. Having recorded just two hits in eight garbage time at-bats this season, Braswell would crank a 1-2 fastball to deep right field for a double, clearing the bases and giving the Gamecocks the lead right back.

Michael would then come in to play third base for a dinged-up Talmadge LeCroy and get one of three huge outs in the bottom of the inning to give South Carolina a series-opening win. Game two of today's doubleheader will start at 5:30 PM eastern time.

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