The South Carolina Gamecocks (49-14) will compete for a National Championship in the College World Series after their 8-2 victory Sunday night in Columbia over the Connecticut Huskies (45-19-1).
South Carolina got major production from their 5-8 hitters as they combined to go 8-16 with six RBI's, three runs scored and three walks. Adrian Morales, Jake Williams, Peter Mooney and Robert Beary will look to lead this team to same way next week when they're in Omaha.
The Gamecocks got 4.2 innings of scoreless relief from Jose Mata (1), Tyler Webb, John Taylor (1.2) and Matt Price (2) to give their offense a chance to come back after trailing this game until the top of the 6th inning, when they scored a single run to tie the game at 2-2.
A single run in the top of the 8th inning gave South Carolina the lead at 3-2, but the five-spot they threw up on UConn in the top of the 9th proved the be too much for UConn to handle. It was five runs on two hits in the 9th on three walks, a hit batter and a clutch two-RBI double from Mooney sealed the deal for South Carolina.
South Carolina joins North Carolina, Texas, Vanderbilt and Florida as five of the eight teams that will compete at the 2011 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska next week.