Burgess' Hit Lifts Baseball to a Walk-Off Win over Alabama

COLUMBIA – Colin Burgess’ single to left scored Evan Stone, giving the University of South Carolina baseball team a 6-5 walk-off win over Alabama Thursday night (April 28) to open a three-game series at Founders Park.
 
Alabama scored a pair of runs in the top of the ninth, but with one out, Stone reached on a bunt single. He went to third on Talmadge LeCroy’s hard smash up the middle and scored on Burgess’ single to left.
 
Carolina used the long ball to take a 5-0 lead. Andrew Eyster hit a solo shot in the second frame. Michael Braswell had a solo shot in the third and Josiah Sightler belted a three-run shot in same inning. Alabama chipped away at the Carolina lead with single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth frame, then tied it in the ninth.
 
The trio of Brett Thomas, John Gilreath and Cade Austin combined for eight strikeouts with only three walks. Austin earned the win, going three innings and allowing one hit, no earned run with three strikeouts. Thomas went the first four frames, allowing one run with four hits and two strikeouts. Gilreath struck out three, allowing a pair of runs in two innings of work.
 
Braswell had two hits to pace Carolina’s offense while Sightler had three RBI.

POSTGAME NOTES

• Brandt Belk now has a 27-game reached base streak after reaching base on a walk.
• This was Burgess’ second career walk-off hit. He had a walk-off double in the win over Florida on March 26, 2021.
• Sightler now leads the team with eight home runs.
• Carolina wins the first game of the series for the second time this season. The Gamecocks won the opener of the Missouri series.

UP NEXT
Carolina and Alabama will continue the three-game series Friday night (April 29) at 7 p.m. at Founders Park. The game will be on SEC Network Plus.