SOME THOUGHTS ON FRIDAY'S ACTION

One of the disadvantages of being at a sporting event is not being able to flip channels and keep up with several events at once.

* My apologies to my Coastal Carolina-fan readers for my paucity of information. I'm going mostly on what I see by the box score.

Defense and relief pitching have generally been strengths for the Chanticleers in recent seasons. It looks like both areas suffered problems in the  7-3 loss to Oklahoma in the NCAA's Blacksburg regional.

Coastal built a 3-0 lead after 1 1/2 innings only to be held scoreless the rest of the game by Oklahoma pitcher Jonathan Gray.

The Chanticleers now face an elimination game against Virginia Tech on the Hokies' home field. It will be a challenge.

* Clemson fell into the losers' bracket at the Columbia regional with an 8-3 loss to Liberty. On the positive side, the Tigers had been shut out for their previous 15 innings (the final six of the 14-inning loss to North Carolina and a shutout against Miami) before scoring in the first inning Friday. An error helped Clemson get a first-inning run against Liberty, but the Tigers got nothing more out of a two-on, none-out situation.

The Tigers have a young lineup, most of Clemson's meager offensive production the last several games has come from those newcomers.

First baseman Jon McGibbon - No. 2 on the team in RBIs - is out for the regional because of a hamstring injury suffered in practice earlier in the week.  Clemson committed two errors on throws to first base, at least one of which McGibbon might have been able to prevent.

As Tigers coach Jack Leggett noted afterward, McGibbon has been such a fixture at first base that he doesn't have any other experienced first basemen to fall back on.

Leggett's decision to start freshman Zack Erwin over ace Daniel Gossett came under scrutiny in the postgame press conference. Leggett said he didn't regret his decision, because it would have been tough for Gossett to win with the lack of offensive output by the Tigers

It's no secret that Clemson would rather be at any regional other than Columbia. Had the Tigers been able to hold on to a 7-2 ninth-inning lead against North Carolina in the ACC Tournament, they likely would have hosted a regional themselves instead of Virginia Tech.

But they didn't and aren't. Now, they face a solid Saint Louis team; one perhaps not with the high talent level of several ACC schools, but a squad with the ability to hit. The Billikens didn't seem awestruck playing in front of a big crowd a Carolina Stadium, and likely will be even more loose today.

I have no inside information that Clemson is "tight," but it's obvious the Tigers are not enjoying baseball right now for several reasons. A few runs early and a shutdown performance by Gossett likely would go a long way toward getting the Tigers closer to where they want to be mentally.

* It's amazing to think that South Carolina has won 25 consecutive home games in NCAA Tournament play dating back too 2002.

Whether it's talent, confidence, luck or coaching, the Gamecocks have the right things happen at the right time.

Friday night, the right things included a Saint Louis error to open the door for a four-run eighth to break a 3-3 tie the Billikens had fashioned in the top of the inning. Kyle Martin's game-winning hit came oh, so close to being flagged down by Saint Louis first baseman Mike Vigliarolo. Give that the ball was a high chopper, odds are that USC would have scored even if Vigliarolo had fielded the ball. That might have prevented more runs later in the inning and given the Billikens a more realistic shot at a ninth-inning rally.

Overlooked in the eighth-inning ebb and flow was the fact that senior left-hander Nolan Belcher likely made his final appearance at Carolina Stadium. The fifth-year senior had some ups-and-downs in his career, going from a weekend starter as a freshman to largely a forgotten member of the staff in 2010 and 2012, with a year lost to injury in between.

Even though he didn't get the decision Friday, he was stellar. He took a one-hit shutout into the seventh inning.

Coach Chad Holbrook appears to have former mentor Ray Tanner's knack for playing hunches. He moved Max Schrock up in the batting order and Graham Saiko and Connor Bright down for the Saint Louis game. Holbrook also insert Martin to play first base because LB Dantzler had been struggling defensively. Schrock, Saiko, Bright and Martin had two hits apiece.

Next up for the Gamecocks is Liberty. Flames coach Jim Toman was a favorite of Gamecock fans and media during his tenure as an assistant for coach Ray Tanner. Liberty and USC played three one-run games to open the 2013 season, with USC winning twice, One of the wins included an improbable rally from a 7-0 deficit entering the bvoottom of the eighth to win in the ninth, 8-7.

From what I saw of Liberty that weekend, I expected Liberty would be a strong contender for the  Big South Conference regular-season title. Instead, the Flames suffered some injuries and had to win the conferene tournament to qualify for the NCAAs.

Both Toman and his players seem relaxed and comfortable with their surroundings.

* And didn't Liberty catcher Trey Wimmer have a nice return to his  home state? The Greenwood native - whose brother is a student at Clemson - drove in six runs on Friday. Wimmer said he grew up a Clemson fan and got a little bit of recruiting attention before being injured as a senior.