CWS: Gamecocks win national title again

  • Discuss Comment, Blog about
  • Print Friendly and PDF

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - South Carolina finished the first College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park the same way it did the last one at Rosenblatt Stadium.

The Gamecocks are national champions again.

Michael Roth pitched 7 2-3 innings on three days' rest and the Gamecocks were in control throughout a 5-2 win over Florida on Tuesday night that completed a two-game sweep in the CWS finals.

"Beginning of the year I said we finished at the old one, so let's try to open the new one up," said second baseman Scott Wingo, voted the CWS' Most Outstanding Player. "Coach wasn't sure we would get it, but I'm the type of guy who felt we were going to do it. I was thinking of the Oregon state team the whole year. I had a feeling we would get back and win this thing, and we did."

South Carolina (55-14) became the first team to ever go 10-0 in an NCAA tournament and the first since Oregon State in 2007 to go unbeaten in a CWS.

The Gamecocks' streaks of 16 NCAA tournament wins and 11 straight in the CWS are both the longest all-time.

They became the sixth team to win consecutive national titles and first since Oregon State in 2006-07.

"We're not the most talented team, and we don't have the best players position for position," Roth said, "but we go out and stick together as a team. We battle. I can't describe it. We're a bunch of average Joes and love each other and come out and battle."

Peter Mooney doubled to start a three-run third inning in the matchup of Southeastern Conference rivals and hit the Gamecocks' first home run of the CWS in the sixth.

After giving up four runs in the first inning of their opener against Texas A&M, the Gamecocks allowed just six in their other 50 innings here.

"They earned this one," Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "They were a little bit better than us in all phases. They pitched a little bit better. They hit a little bit better. They played a little bit better defense and they earned it."

Comments

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.

Sign in to comment