The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 20, 2000, Page 8, Image 8
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.
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"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