Right fielder Logan Foster topped off a successful seventh inning for No. 7 Texas A&M with a grand slam to defeat South Carolina 8-2 in Columbia on Thursday.
The four-run homer put an exclamation mark on the game for the Aggies as they came back from a 2-1 deficit going into the seventh inning.
The Gamecocks struggled from the plate, posting a .156 batting average on the day, including 12 strikeouts.
A&M struck first in the top of the second when third baseman Ty Coleman hit a single down the right field line to put center fielder Zach DeLoach over the plate to take the 1-0 lead.
South Carolina’s shortstop George Callil and center fielder TJ Hopkins answered with consecutive single RBI’s in the following inning.
Despite giving up two runs in the third, A&M starting left-handed pitcher John Doxakis. 
Doxakis registered eight strikeouts, four hits, two runs and a pair of walks in his win over South Carolina’s starting right-handed pitcher Reid Morgan.
“Fastball command wasn’t there but consistency [and] throwing a little bit of strikes helped keep the team in the game,” Doxakis said. “It was tough, I missed my spot a lot in that [third] inning, and they made me pay for it.”
Doxakis kept the Gamecocks scoreless past the third inning through the sixth until A&M head coach Rob Childress called closing right-handed pitcher Bryce Miller to the mound.
Following four scoreless innings for the Aggie offense, catcher Aaron Walters clubbed a double RBI to left center field with DeLoach on base, evening the game with a single out.
After Childress called on outfielder Allonte Wingate to pinch run for Walters, designated hitter Hunter Watson hit a single RBI to right field to put A&M up one.
After a wild pitch from Morgan that advanced Watson to second base, South Carolina head coach Mark Kingston decided it was time to go to the bullpen for left-handed pitcher John Gilreath.
Lead-off hitter Bryce Blaum continued the hitting streak from the plate with a single RBI into center field, extending the Aggie lead to two.
With Blaum on third, and shortstop Brendan Shewmake and catcher Mikey Hoehner also on base, Foster hit a grand slam over the left field fence to make it 8-2 with one out remaining.
“That was huge for us, just guys stacking at-bats one-by-one together,” Foster said. “That’s when we’re the best that we can be honestly. When guys don’t try to do too much at the plate, pass it on to the next guy, that’s when we score a lot of runs. I saw one pitch, and it was a change-up, and I wasn’t going to let him get the first strike.”
The Aggies finished .294 from the plate to open the series, with a single error and six runners left on base.
A&M continues the three-game series with South Carolina on Friday at Founders Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be televised on SEC Network +.