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COLUMBIA (AP, WACH) – Michael Roth threw eight and a third stellar innings and Scott Wingo had a pair of RBI singles as the Gamecocks are one win away from returning to Omaha and the College World Series after a 5-1 win in Columbia over Connecticut on Saturday night. South Carolina leads the best of three series one game to none.

The Huskies struck first as Mike Nemeth drove in Houston Astros first round draft pick George Springer in the top of the first.

UConn starter Matt Barnes was roughed up by Coastal Carolina last week in the Clemson Regional, but the #19 overall pick in the MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox looked like a first round selection early on striking out the side in the first inning.

The Gamecocks got to Barnes in the 3rd as Evan Marzilli doubled off the left field wall with two outs and was driven home by Scott Wingo to tie the game at one. South Carolina took a 2-1 lead in the 4th when Jake Williams scurried home on a wild pitch.

South Carolina used quality at bats on Barnes to get his pitch count high and broke through in the fifth. Wingo came through again with an RBI single up the middle. After going from first base to third on a wild pitch, Wingo would score on a Christian Walker single to right to make it a 4-1 Gamecocks advantage. Brady Thomas would bring Walker home to make it 5-1 and Barnes day would end after another Gamecock hit.

With Uconn's first inning run unearned, Roth was in cruise control for eight plus innings, inducing 17 ground balls and scattering six hits, striking out two. Florence's John Taylor came on to get the final two outs and lock down the win.  Game two is set for Sunday night at 7pm and will be televised nationally on ESPNU.