University of South Carolina Libraries
Men's tf NATHAN BROWN Senior Writer The USC men's tennis team lost to the Auburn Tigers Thursday in the first round of the SEC Championship Tournament, 4-0. The Gamecocks were seeded eighth while the Tigers were the ninth seed n.i i_ jj rr ?ai_ n *n ir _ i^oiumoia nauve j\eim urrn, tne second seed in the singles cnmpetitian, faced Auburn's Adham Alaily. Brill, who played very strong at the start of the match, jumped out to a 5-0 lead. However, Alaily fought his way back to win the first set. Then the match was suspended as Auburn captured the three singles wins to give them the overall win, 4-0. But Brill and Alaily continued to battle it out in the second set which Brill unofficially won. Earlier in the day, Brill and his teammate, Jorge Esqueda, dominated their doubles match. With Brill leading the way, he and Esqueda were winning 6-2 when the game was suspended since Auburn captured the other two matches. Carolina bas< MARK PIBASSatff Writer The USC baseball team battled back several times against a formidable Clemson team, but ended up falling just short as the Tigers won 12-9. Coach Ray Tanner said before the game that the keys for starting pitcher Jake Whitfield would be to throw strikes and get past the first couple of innings. Tanner must have forgotten to tell that to Whitfield. Clemson opened the bottom of the first with four runs. Jason Embler singled to left, scoring Gary Burnham and chasing Whitfield from the game with no outs in the first inning. Freshman Bryan Kirby came in to relieve Whitfield, and quickly walked Kurt Bultman to load the bases. Larry Borgert singled to right, scoring LeCroy and Embler and giving Clemson a 4-0 lead. Matt Padgett singled to right to 1 3 j.l__ 1- !i-l ..i-? 1 re-ioau uie uttaea wim uu uuua auu things were looking bleak for Gamecock fans. But USc got the Tigers to fly-out and hit into a double play to end the inning. The Gamecocks, as they did all game, battled back in the top of the second inning. Freshman Adam Poe doubled to right-centerfield. Rob Streicher followed with a single to right that scored Poe, and the Gamecocks were on the board, 4-1. Brandon Walters followed Ryan Szwejbka with a single to left that moved Streicher to second. Mike Curry grounded out to first, moving the runners to second and third, but making the second out of the inning. Authorized Martin, *s /y ?<* Banjos & other folk 11&t&\ Instruments # Lessoi Accessories flCIUM" *PAAlOR Blue ! 796-6477 Blll Wel|S) 0wner $18 OFF HNV 10 17 Sun 739 Min. Age 18 Years Wide Range of Cars, Trucks and Van! Daily, Weekly & Monthly Rentals Free Local Pick-Up & Delivery Competitive Low Rates DINING AR Daifv Lunch Specials Meat & 3 Veggies Chicken breast banowicn BBQ Buffet Pasta & Salad Bar Fish & Shrimp $1.25 Daily I Kl+W,UAUUWE Minis elii Head coach Kent DeMars was fairly certain that Brill and Esqueda would have won. "It looked pretty evident we were going to win number three doubles. We were up 6-2 at the time," DeMars said. The entire Gamecock squad quickly fell behind by one point after losing the two doubles matches. The No. 1 doubles team of Jerome Jourdcn and Greg Badurowicz fell 8-5, and the number two team, Olof Akesson and Robert Wojcik, lost 8-3. The third match was suspended due to Auburn capturing the required two matches out of three in the doubles competition. In doubles j__i rv_?f J xi n i maicnes, jjeiviars saia uie uamecoats were just not up to level of the Tigers. "They have two outstanding doubles teams. Their one and two teams were really better than ours," DeMars said. Despite being down by one, Coach DeMars was optimistic that the Gamecocks could come back. "I thought we were good enough ?ball falls to C Adam Everett came dp to the plate and stroked a single into rightcenter that drove in Streicher and Walters, and put USC down by only one run, 4-3. Everett stole second, and Derrick Urquhart walked. That brought to the plate Eric Stanton, who was hitting in the cleanup spot for the first time all year, filling in for. a sick Ryan Bordenick. Stanton hit a high fly ball to left that seemed to elude the soft wind blowing inward, and carried just over the fence for a three-run homer. The Gamecocks took their tirst lead ot the game, 6-4, and chased the Clemson pitcher, freshman Jeff Parsons. Kirby pitched well until the bottom of the fifth, when he began to tire. He hit Embler with an off-speed pitch to start the inning, then allowed a deep homerun to Bultman. The Tigers were back, threatening the Gamecocks, 7-6. USC used Stanton's fifth RBI of the game and a run-scoring single by Streicher to go back in the lead, 9-7, in the top of the sixth. In the bottom of the sixth, things began to unravel for the Gamecocks quickly. DeMoura singled to center, and Burnham singled off the second base umpire to put runners on first and second Tanner removed Hoshour in favor of Tyler Speer. Speer walked the first hitter to load the bases, and Embler followed by blooping a single into short center that scored DeMoura The next hitter, buitman, hit a long tly hail that the centerfielder, Curry, somehow caught as he was falling down. All three Gibson and Guild Dealer Guitars, instruments New and Used as Records & Tapes Books tgrass jam session every Friday night * Concert every Saturday night 3DnVRENTflL KkltiaajS set B I u d . 2770 No Credit Cards Needed 3 But Major Credit Cards Accepted Cash Rentals Welcome Over 400 Locations Worldwide TANDED EA & MENU ICrwtafc Aftw 3MI/F 201 Jumbo Wings 2 For 1 Menu Items [ 2 For 1 Ribeyes/Filets 2 For 1 Appetizers | $2/lb. Popcorn Shrimp Jeer Specials SPO initiated to come back and win four singles," DeMars said. But in the singles matches, No. 1 seed Jouidon lost 6-4,6-1. Number three seed, Badurowicz, was defeated 6-1,6-0. And No. 4 seed, Esqueda, fell 6-4,6-4. With the three losses, Auburn was able to claim victory which ended the rest ot the matches. Ut the three suspended matches, the Gamecocks were likely to win them all. "There looked like there was a good chance we would win the three remaining matches," DeMars said. At the close, Akesson was two points away from victory, Brill was winning the second set, and Wojcik had been leading nearly the whole match. With the loss, the Gamecocks were eliminated from the SEC tournament, but their season may not be over. They will probably be attending the NCAA Regionals. Auburn will go on to free the No. 1 seeded Georgia Bulldogs tomorrow at 2 pm on the Sam Daniel Courts. llemson, 12-9 runners tagged up and moved one base, scoring Burnham. Stanley grounded out to second, but LeCroy scored on the play to give Clemson the lead for good, 10-9. The Gamecocks could not solve Alex Additon, the reliever that Clemson used for the final three innings, and Clemson went on to win 12-9. Be my \ J ( ) Visa U S A Inr W/ jRTSi Lady Gam SEC cham1 GOLF continued from page 1 on their home course. SEC rival Tennessee walked away from The university uiud witn tne championship of the Classic. This time around Arney says her team will be better prepared to not let the excitement of playing at home affect their play. "We had a learning experience [at that tournament]," Arney said. "It was one of those things that they wanted it so bad, that they overtried a little bit. They felt like they had something to prove, and in reality golf is such a game where you have to stay in the present. I feel like we are ready mentally to stay in the present this week." Senior Rebekah Lee-Owens, the team's leader, said she hopes this time around will be a better experience for the Lady Gamecocks. "[The Lady Gamecock Classic] was definitely a learning experience," Lee-Owens said. "It was kind of a mini-SECs, or that is how we tried to look at it Everybody was playing real well, but we kind of crumbled under the pressure. We've learned from it, and we are ready to come out here and do well." Freshman Camilla Faaborg Andersen said she was nervous at the Lady Gamecock Classic, and ^clause 'Stery ] ] ecock pionship tl now with that tournament unc her belt she will be able to pi better this time around. "After the Lady Gameco [Classic] we wanted to pro something, because we pressui ourselves a bit to much," Faabo Andersen said. "It was a gre tournament, but results-wise wasn't as good, so of course we wj to forget about it. "For me it was very goc because the event was the first tu that I played a tournament on c home course. Junior Libby Howard said s felt more pressure at the La Gamecock Classic because of t familiar faces watching her, a she hopes to use that tournamt as a learning experience for t SECs. "I think that we put too mu pressure on ourselves last tin and we pressed too hard and tri to make things happen instead letting things happen," Howa said. "We learned from the k tournament. Everyone played w in the last round, and just went < and let things happen. "It was good to have o tournament here before this (t SEC Tournament)," Howard sa "All of our parents were out h? supporting [us], and everybody ji ^????? 1 : '*#& r.:ri ? ? #t to da") meat [t'g everyv^rvt -you "wa^-t to ersgofor bis weekend ler wanted to play so well, but we didn't k ay really have a good turnout. I think that this will be better for us." ck Amey said the Lady Gamecocks ve have an NCAA bid locked up with ed their strong play this year, although rg- a strong showing at this weekend's sat tournament is still needed to ensure s it that bid. mt "We feel pretty secure in our regional bid right now," Arney said id, "Agood showing here will nail down me those possibilities, but we feel like >ur we should get a bid We have played a very, very tough schedule this he year. I think we should be looking dy to a trip to Illinois in May (to the he NCAA Tournament)." nd Arney added that any team in mt the field can sneak up and win this he tournament. She said she hopes that it is her girls that are on top ch of their game this weekend, and le, that her team will be the one to ied bring home USCs second-ever SEC 1 of Championship, ird We will just have to hide and ist watch this weekend and see who rell can put it all together and have jut their 'A' game," Arney said. Having finished third in last ur year's tournament the Lady he Gamecocks will be in the last three id. teams to tee-off on Friday. ;re Admission is free to all days of jst the event. > I I $ * ; ]) / i$ * i _ . aay. 0 .. ? 1 p be: I