As a long day at the park extended into a second one, South Carolina baseball dug deep once more and found a way to extend its stay in Hoover, Alabama, rallying to defeat Mizzou, 4-2, in the first round of the SEC tournament.
The Gamecocks (33-22, 17-13 SEC) and Tigers (34-22, 12-18) had to wait a long time before they could face off in the final first-round matchup of the day — a rain delay and extra innings in an earlier game meant first pitch didn't take place until 10:31 p.m. local time.
Through the first few innings, it seemed as though neither team was too eager to stay later than it had to — there was no score through three innings, as USC freshman starter Carmen Mlodzinski in particular looked dangerous, striking out five batters and giving up no hits or walks on just 35 pitches.