The palpable buzz of nights past at Founders Park fizzled Sunday.
The hum of Saturday’s over 7,000-person crowd shrunk just over 4,000. The energy that enveloped the ballpark in Friday’s win over Virginia and the attempted comeback against Old Dominion fell to a hush and eventually dissipated. So too did South Carolina’s hopes of extending its 2021 season.
Turning in its third anemic offensive performance in as many days, USC (34-23) dropped Sunday’s elimination game to No. 3 seed Virginia (31-24) 3-2.
One night after Thomas Farr gutted through an electric seven-inning outing, South Carolina’s Brannon Jordan labored throughout his 2.2 innings against the Cavaliers. Batter after batter, Jordan was teed up. Even the pop flies he induced carried to the warning track.
A quintet of strikeouts helped Jordan’s final line, but his erratic placement and a trio of extra base hits allowed ended his afternoon after just 2.2 innings pitched.
Devin Ortiz earned the first Cavalier break off Jordan when he shot a single through the left side of the infield to plate the first run of the afternoon.
Alex Tappen then doubled the UVa lead with a towering solo homer that landed just below the Founders Park scoreboard in left field the following frame.
Nic Kent added the third Virginia run in as many innings and sent Jordan to the dugout when he smacked a gap-finding double into left-center field to score Kyle Teel.
The Gamecocks continued their wayward ways the plate as UVa starter Matt Wyatt diced his way through the South Carolina lineup. Wyatt, who’d started just once in 17 appearances this spring, struck out eight batters in five innings while allowing just a pair of hits.
Following suit with recent days, South Carolina finished 4 of 17 on advancement opportunities Sunday. A meager 13-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio didn’t help the cause.
The Gamecocks earned an early offensive blip Sunday when a Brady Allen walk was followed by a ripped single by Andrew Eyster — who entered the afternoon 0-for-9 in regional play, but finished the day 2-for-4. South Carolina junior slugger Wes Clarke brought Allen home on a high chopper to second base.
After a solo homer by Brennan Milone, the Gamecocks put runners on first and second for first baseman Joe Satterfield. Smoking a liner back at Cavalier reliever Zach Messinger, Satterfield reached first on a fielder’s choice as Messinger corralled the hot shot and flipped it over to third base before a turn to second doubled off Colin Burgess and Braylen Wimmer.
Allen earned another chance at tying the ballgame, but struck out on three consecutive offerings from UVa closer Stephen Schoch.
Schoch returned to the mound in eighth and ninth inning. Riding his bewildering slider that routinely painted the outside corner of the plate, Virginia’s hulking closer downed seven of the eight batters he faced — including five via strikeout — to slam the door in South Carolina’s 2021 campaign.
Virginia will play No. 1 seed Old Dominion in the Columbia Regional finals Sunday at 7 p.m.