Defensive Mistakes Led to South Carolina’s Loss in SEC Championship
A Walk-off Loss to LSU Adds Salt to Their Wound
An opportunity impact on the scoreboard seemed within reach for Blake Jackson of South Carolina. Set on third base with two outs, Jackson decided to exploit the advantage he held against LSU’s left-hander Griffin Herring on the mound. A mad dash towards home plate could have set the Gamecocks ahead in the game, however, an alert Herring gunned down Jackson, closing down the inning.
After discussions, it was concluded that due to interference and a balk, South Carolina managed to take an 11-10 lead. This decision irked the crowd, filling the air with disapproving boos. Gaining this advantage set South Carolina three outs away from securing their place in the SEC Championship game.
Defensive Errors Add to the Pain for South Carolina
The face-off was anything but predictable. In the last of the 10th, LSU’s Steven Milam hit a walk-off two-run homer, pulling an amazing 12-11 comeback victory for the Tigers. Despite the incredible walk-off homer, the main issue that led to South Carolina’s loss was defensive errors. Twelve errors were made by South Carolina in five games this week causing extreme concern.
South Carolina yet to Address their Defensive Mistakes
Though Mark Kingston, South Carolina’s head coach, boasts about a 0.979 field in thirty SEC games, he fails to identify these errors as problems or address them to avoid future mistakes. In Kingston’s words, “why it was a problem this week on this field, I don’t know”, suggests a lack of strategy or desire to fix recurring issues. It seems South Carolina was not ready for the scale of this week’s SEC Championship.
South Carolina failed to secure an SEC title and now needs to prepare for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Until then, they remain determined to correct their weaknesses and improve their game before their next match.
South Carolina will head home to find out where it will be heading for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The selection show is on Monday at noon on ESPN2.
