After two recent comebacks going in the opponent's favor, South Carolina baseball was likely sick of walkoff losses.

So Cole Messina stepped up Friday at the NCAA regional in Raleigh, North Carolina. One strike away from taking an opening loss to James Madison, Messina bombed a two-run homer to tie things and send the game into extra innings.

Messina was intentionally walked twice already, but he represented the tying run in the ninth.

Messina made James Madison's Joe Vogatsky pay. In the 10th, Will Tippett's sacrifice fly brought home the winning run.

The Gamecocks (37-23) were now the ones with a late game push, completing the comeback in extra innings with an 8-7 win over the Dukes (34-24) at Doak Field.

With the double-elimination format, the Gamecocks face the winner of Friday's second game, which is between NC State and Bryant, on Saturday at 6 p.m. (ESPN+).

South Carolina baseball ninth inning rally

Down 7-5, South Carolina's Austin Brinling got on first but Ethan Petry hit into a double play. Blake Jackson was hit by a pitch on a 1-2 count.

Up stepped Messina, who tied Petry for the team lead with his 21st home run.

South Carolina was 1-for-8 with runners on base and 8-for-16 with bases empty by the eighth inning. After being down as many as three in the fifth, the Gamecocks couldn't consistently string hits together. Kennedy Jones' lead-off home run in the seventh cut it to two but a pickoff by Donovan Burke on Dalton Reeves at first killed momentum.

The only lead for the Gamecocks all game was in the 10th.

Eli Jones, pitching for South Carolina baseball

Eli Jones got the start for South Carolina. Through four innings, Jones struck out four. The junior was settled on the mound, keeping the Gamecocks alive early when they couldn't get the ball in the air.

Ty Good relieved Jones and allowed four hits and two runs. Jones had three runs allowed.

Chris Veach closed the final four innings, striking out four and allowing two runs and four hits.

SC IN RALEIGH: Why South Carolina baseball will – and won't – win Raleigh NCAA Regional

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina baseball: Cole Messina home run huge in regional win