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Inside: Schedule Men’s tennis falls to Florida, guest colum- ■ Men’s 9°lf at Morris Williams nist Rick Johnston discusses the Cinderel- Intercollegiate, Austin, Tex today - Tues. ■ Women’s tennis vs. Alabama, Tues. ia stories of the Big Dance ■ Baseball vs. Wofford, Wed. ■ Men’s tennis vs. Tennessee, Fri. i r "paoe a " ” "Cfic (Bamecock **«««, mwch 20,2000 Gators deep-sixth Gamecocks, 17-8 Ten-run sixth inning lifts Florida over Carolina, breaks winning streak at 22 games by Shannon Rooke Sports Editor Florida 17, USC 8 After winning 22 straight games and plac ing themselves in the top five teams in the coun try, many could say that a loss was in order. They were right. The team who can say they ended the longest winning streak in college baseball was the unranked, 15-13 Florida Gators. After beginning the game with a quiet five innings, the Gamecocks led the way into the top of the sixth with a five-run advantage over the struggling Gators. This was mostly because of Brandon Pack and his seventh homer of the season and a three run homer by freshman Drew Meyer, his fifth. Then came the inning that forced most of the devoted Gamecock crowd to stand up and leave in disbelief. The Gators went through 16 batters in the top of the fifth and wouldn’t step down again until they had scored 10 runs off of five walks, a South Carolina error, five hits, and a hit bat ter. By the time USC would head back to bat, the 10-run damage had been done and the Game cocks now looked at a five-run deficit. They wouldn’t score until the last inning, and by then it would be too late. Florida batted around in the seventh for the second straight inning and tallied four more runs. They then improved to a total of 17 runs with two more in the eighth. The rally hats were on in the crowd but South Carolina would only be able to pull off two more runs in the ninth forthe comeback attempt. After plowing through eight pitchers be fore the end of the game, the Gamecocks had walked 12 different Florida players and hit two. The win went to Kenny Birch, 2-0, while the loss sent Clint Collins to a 1-1 record. Collins was the fourth of eight pitchers used by the Gamecocks. Standing out for the Gators was Kurt Keene, who drove in five runs and tallied three of UF’s 13 hits. Teammate Kevin Estrada was 3-3, and Ja son Dill had three hits and two RBIs. Florida’s Tony Socorras was held hitless but had three runs on a bases-loaded walk, a fielders choice and an infield out. On the Carolina side, Meyer had two hits and three RBIs, and Nate Janowicz and Bren nan Dees had two hits each. “They had aliig ten-run inning so it could n’t be a great situation for the rest of the game but we played hard and made a nice run,” head coach Ray Tanner said. “We just didn’t get a good outing from our bullpen, especially in the sixth. You can’t give a team ten runs at one time like that.” use 7, Florida 3 Struggling to get off to a good start, Game cock junior pitcher Peter Bauer gave up a lead off single to Mark Kiger and then walked Matt Siegal. With still no outs, Bauer tossed a wild pitch, then walked Gator third baseman Kurt Keene. To end the inning and place themselves up by one, the Gators watched as Kiger rounded home and Carolina turned a double play. Ju nior Peter Nystrom walked after being hit by a pitch, but Socarras struck out to send the teams into the-bottom of the first. Answering for his team, Janowicz went 2-for-5 with three runs on the day. Leading off with a double play down the rightfield line, Meyer walked and teammate Dees loaded the bases. Florida starter Jeff Car dozo (2-1) then followed the play with a sac rifice fly. USC centerfielder Marcus McBeth advanced to second on an error and a wild pitch but was taken out on third on a bunt attempt by Janowicz. John McHenry and Janowicz both would come around to score with help from a Meyer bloop single and hit by Dees. Pack would make it 4-1 as he grounded a single in to centerfield. Bauer (4-0) allowed seven hits until he was replaced in the eighth by Scott Barber who fin ished the game for South Caroli na. With an undefeated record of 22-0, the Gamecocks were be ginning to get used to the win ning streak. “We know we can lose. That’s not something to worry about be cause we know that exists,” coach Tanner said. “You just keep try ing to play and maybe you can put it off for another day.” USC 5, Florida 2 Despite the cold air blow ing through Columbia on Friday night, the USC baseball field was anything but cold. Extending their winning streak to 21 with a win in the first game of a heated weekend series against Florida, the Gamecocks placed themselves in the nation al rankinks. Junior pitcher Kip Bouknight had an im pressive game, as he improved his personal record to 7-0 with the win. During the eight innings he was throwing for Carolina, he struck out 12 Gators with no walks, allowed six hits and only two earned runs. Barber closed the door on Florida, as he finished out the remainder of the eighth inning and the ninth. He struck out the side in the top of the ninth inning to earn his fifth save. A two-out, two-strike, two-run triple by Janowicz in the bottom of the eighth inning ended the 2-2 tie. South Carolina took its first lead of the game in the third inning when McHenry made it around the diamond on a walk, an infield out and a short pickoff throw. He went on to put the Gamecocks on the board with a two-out single by Dees. After scores from both teams - homers by Siegel in the eighth and USC’s Dees - the score was tied at two heading into the ninth. In the home stretch of the game, Game cock Tripp Kelly singled and stole second base to place Carolina up 3-2 with no outs. Marcus McBeth would then round home, followed by Janowicz for the 5-2 lead that ended the game. No® Sunday’s planned starter Chris Spigner will be out for three weeks after ah elbow injury. The tender elbow was also responsible for Spign er’s absence from the first 15 games of the sea son ... Reliever Lee Gronkiewicz could be out out for the rest of the season after a shoulder injury. He will be evaluated this week for his possible return... John Wesley and Steven Bon durant have been added to the 25-man roster. Sean Rayford Photo Editor Junior Tripp Kelly swings and misses during Sunday's 17-8 loss to Florida Sunday. The Gamecocks’ 22-game winning streak was broken with the loss. Softball splits four-game series with Florida Inconsistency causes Lady Gamecocks to finish weekend with 2-2 mark Sean Rayford Photo Editor Second baseman Kim Schuttze throws to first base for an out in the Gamecocks’ first victory over Florida Friday. by Elizabeth Rod Assistant Sports Editor Two days. Four games. Two doubleheaders split between the Lady Gamecocks and Florida Gators. USC’s softball team was plagued by inconsistent play Friday and Sat urday, defeating Florida in game one and losing in game two each day. In the end, the No. 17 Lady Gamecocks ad vanced their record to 22-11 overall and 3-3 in the SEC, while the No. 25 Gators are 26-12 and 2-2. Saturday - Game 1 USC 6 , Florida 1 On top of the split doubleheader the night before, the Lady Gamecocks returned for a fighting win over the Gators in game one Saturday. Megan Matthews (12-8) returned to the mound for USC, leading the team to a 6-1 vic tory. The Gators scored their only run on a home run by first baseman Emily Marino in the top of the first inning. The Lady Gamecocks fired up their bats early as well, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Lead off batter and freshman Jodi Fittro led with a walk, and Kendra McCutcheon followed with a bunt single down the third base line. Fittro advanced to third when Marino failed to catch the at tempt to tag McCutcheon out at first. An illegal pitch to USC’s next bat ter, Joyce McMillin, benefited the run ners on base, advancing each one and bringing Fittro in to score. Senior third baseman Sondra Hall then doubled down the left field line to bring in McCutcheon, and she lat er scored on freshman Debralee Troesh’s first collegiate triple. With the third inning came anoth er USC run, when Hall’s single over UF shortstop Jen Mossadeghi scored McCutcheon, who had reached base on a Florida error. Overall, only three runs by USC were earned. The rest were attributed to UF fielding mistakes. The Lady Gamecocks scored their last two runs in the fourth and fifth in nings. Freshman first baseman Danielle Quinones hit a single past the Gators’ pitcher, shortstop and centerfielder to take third on errors. Fittro brought in Quinones with a sacrifice fly. The final run came in the bottom of the fifth, when junior centerfield er Megan Donohoo singled down the left field line to bring in Hall. Dono hoo’s hit was her first since a March 11 wrist injury. Florida’s pitcher, junior Renise Laundry, moved her record to 10-7 with the loss. Saturday - Game 2 Florida 12, USC 0 The Lady Gamecocks saw their worst loss since 1998 during the final game against the Gators, falling 12-0 in only five innings. . Florida surged ahead in the top of the fifth by scoring nine runs, four of which were attributed to a grand slam off the bat of senior outfielder Jen Lutsi. USC recorded three errors which led to Florida runs. Gamecock hits by Fittro (2), junior catcher Adrienne Genovese and Hall were not advanced. Junior pitcher McMillin (9-2) took the loss, giving up two hits, one walk and three runs in the first inning. She was replaced after pitching one inning and to only two batters in the second, allowing Matthews and Heather Cul ver to finish the game. “They’re not going to have it Vjvery time they go out there,” USC head coach Joyce Compton said. “I’m not sure [McMillin] wouldn’t have turned it around today. We just thought the better move was to put Megan back in.” Florida’s senior pitcher Beth Di eter earned the win, giving up no r»n3 and advancing her record tu 12-2. Friday - Game 1 USC 7, Florida 1 The Lady Gamecocks started the series strong Friday with a 7-1 victo ry over the Gators. Matthews earned the win, returning to the mound after suffering hamstring pain in the first game of a doubleheader against Fur man Wednesday. Matthews allowed only two hits and one run and struck out eight UF batters to lead USC to the win. After a scoreless first two innings, USC rose to dominate the plate in the bottom of the third. The bases filled with Fittro, McMillin and Genovese, Hall hit a hard double to left field, bring ing in Fittro and McMillin and putting the Gamecocks on the board with two. Next at bat, Troesh’s hit to left field combined with a UF error to bring in Genovese and Hall and move the score to 4-0 USC. The fifth inning determined the game’s final outcome. Florida scored one run in the top when catcher An drea Zimbardi hit a double to drive in rightfielder Ashley Boone. The Lady Gamecocks countered the Gator attempt by scoring three runs during their next at bat. Sophomore pinch hitter Adrianna Baggetta lit up the field with a three-run home run that tied her for second in home runs (3) and RBIs (15) on the team. Troesh and Quinones scored on Baggetta’s Softball see page 9 < Gamecock track fares well with home meet Track & Field roundup Gamecock Sports South Carolina won 13 events in the second day of the Weems Baskin Sprint Relays. Junior Terrence Trammell won the men’s 100 yard dash at 9.22, in hopes of breaking the world record of 9.0 next weekend. It was the first outdoor meet of the year as the Gamecocks host the SEC Four Way Saturday. Competing in the meet will be Arkansas’ men and women, Mississippi’s men and Women and the Vanderbilt women. The meet begins at 11 a.m. USC’s women ran “An All-Ameri can relay” in the 4x200m relay to post a winning time of 133.08. All four of the runners scored at last weekend’s NCA^ Indoor Championships, with Miki Bar ber winning the NCAA title (Lisa Barber to Miki Barber to Mechelle Lewis to Demetria Washington). The men’s 4x200m relay featured three All-Americans in Trammell, Pap Howard and Clint Crenshaw. The fourth, Gerald Pressley of Greenville, won the 1999 US Junior Na tional 400m title. The relay team won with a time of 1:23.67. Three-time NCAA champion Brad Snyder made his 2000 debut to win the shot put at 60'10 3/4. Senior Ellakisha Williamson won the 100m hurdles at 13.49, and junior Jack ie Madison won the 400m hurdles at 61.55. USC won the men’s 4x400m relay at 3:18.73; the women’s 4x100m rel>v at 40.80 and the men’s 4x100m relay was second to South Carolina State at 46.58. The men’s 1,600m sprint med ley won with a time of 3:26.15. USC’s women won the 1,600m sprint