Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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. Inside: Schedule Probable starting lineups fortonight’s South " Track & field at SC' Slate Championships (Columbia), today Carolina-Clemson baseball matchup, 7:15 m MeiVs tennis vs Georgiai 2 p m p.m., Doug Kingsrpore Stadium ■ Baseball at Clemson, 7:15 p.m. ■ Track & field at Sea Ray Relays, Thu. □The Battle of South Carolina South Carolina meets Clemson in matchup of the state's top baseball programs by David Cloninger Sports Editor Gamecock senior pitcher Jason Po mar was sweating. The reliever and co-captain had just loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, with Clemson’s Brian Ellis up to bat. USC clung to a one-run lead, and was one strike away from going home with a 4-3 victory and revenge for an 8-7 comeback Tiger win in Columbia the week before. So with a full count, Pomar knew he had to give Ellis something to hit. The USC defense would stand behind him and the Gamecocks would pull out the win. This was the situation where heroes were made. Unfortunately for USC, a win was not in the cards that day as Ellis ripped Pomar’s next pitch into the gap be tween first and second base, scoring two Tigers and winning the game for Clemson. That victory, on April 21, 1999, pulled the Clemson baseball team back into contention for an NCAA berth. The Tigers, held back all year by unan swered rallies and late-inning come backs, stormed through the rest of their season to win their own regional, won it and then advance to the NCAA Su per Regionals. USC found a new definition of pain as the Tigers posted their third con secutive victory over USC and ex tended the all-time series to 146-97-2 in favor of Clemson. It was also the 12th Tiger victory in the last 15 rival ry games. The storied rivalry between South Carolina’s two biggest universities will be renewed tonight as USC takes on Clemson at 7:15 p.m. in Clemson’s Doug Kingsmore Stadium. No. 2 USC has been on fire, win ning its last seven games. The Game cocks are 32-4, 12-3 SEC and have swept three ranked teams (Auburn, Al abama and Mississippi State) in three three-game SEC series this year. USC began the season on an SEC record 22-game winning streak, and look poised to offer the Tigers a seri ous challenge. No. 7 Clemson, meanwhile, is off to a 28-7 start and was ranked No. 1 earlier this season. The Tigers have a 6-3 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference and are coming off a 1-2 weekend against N.C. State. Of the ranked teams Clemson has played, they have beaten Rice and Miami, and de feated North Carolina once in a three game series. The Tigers have been beat en by ranked opponents Central Florida, UNC and Georgia. Ace starter Kip Bouknight will take the hill tonight for the Gamecocks. Bouknight, the reigning SEC Player of the Week, is 9-0 this season with a 1.92 ERA and 86 strikeouts. The junior has pitched two consecutive shutouts against Alabama and Mississippi State, Battle see rage « Special to Gamecock Sports Ctemson outfielder Patrick Boyd, rated the No. 2 pros pect for Major League Baseball, will lead his team against USC. I •.' .*.—--a-i---*-! Special to Gamecock Sports use pitcher Kip Bouknight, SEC Pitcher of the Week, will bring his 9 0 record to Clemson’s Doug Kingsmore Stadium. 4AN Gamecocks claim second straight Pitcher of Week Baseball Roundup Gamecock Sports The USC baseball team claimed its second Consecutive SEC Pitcher of the Week award Monday when pitcher Kip Bouknight was Swarded the honor for his performance against Mississippi State Friday. The award comes on (he heels of junior pitcher Peter Bauer winning (he award last week. J Bouknight, a junior righthander, pitched a Complete game shutout, allowing only five hits, ftiree walks and 12 strikeouts. Bouknight has also not allowed an extra base hit in more than two games. USC’s top weekend starter has thrown 75 in nings this year with 86 strikeouts. He has given up only 14 walks and earned a 9-0 record. The award is Bouknight’s first of the sea son, but the pitcher did claim the National Pitcher of the Week award earlier this season. Boukmght will start tomgnt s game agamsi Clemson, his first midweek appearance this season. Bouknight last started against Clemson on April 14 last season, where he gave up seven runs in 5 1/3 innings, getting the loss. USC moves up in polls. The baseball team was rewarded for its sweep of No. 15 Mississippi State last weekend by moving up one spot in the Collegiate Baseball poll, from No. 3 to No. 2. USC stayed at No. 3 in the USA Today poll, but didn’t budge from its No. 2 ranking in the Baseball America poll. USC is one of six SEC teams in the polls, and the highest ranked. LSU, Mississipppi State, Auburn, Florida and Tennessee all join Caroli na in at least one poll. Clemson game sold out. The USC-tClemson baseball game on Apr. i9 at Saige Frye Field is sold out, university athletics ticket officials an nounced Monday. The game can be heard via the radio airwaves on the Gamecock Radio Net work and via the Internet at www.uscsports.com. This site will also provide a total cast of the game, which will update fans statistically after every pitch. The same cybercast will be used for the Clemson game tonight and for all re maining SEC games. Chat with Tanner. Fans can chat with South Carolina baseball coach Ray Tanner every Wednesday at 10 a.m. The format, sponsored by the USC Ath- • letics Website, enables interested people to post ; questions online to Tanner and have Web dis cussions with him. Tanner’s three-year record at South Car- ’ olina is 112-65, a winning percentage of .633, ; raising his 12-year record as a head coach to 507-238-3, a winning percentage of .680. He ; averaged nearly 44 wins per season between 1988 and 1996, compiling a 395-173-3 record at N.C. State. Tanner, 41, was named the Gamecock coach on June 14,1996, after nine successful seasons at his alma mater, N.C. State. Bouknight Track prepares for busy week with S.C. State Championships, Sea Ray Relays Track & Field Roundup Gamecock Sports The Gamecocks return to Colum bia this weekend as they host the South Carolina State Championships today at the Weems Baskin Track on the USC campus, beginning at 3 p.m. It will be Carolina’s last outdoor home meet in 2000. The meet invites teams from all over South Carolina including Bene dict College, Wofford College, Charleston Southern University, Coastal Carolina, Winthrop College, Morris College, The Citadel and Claflin Col lege. USC will then travel to Knoxville for the Sea Ray Relays on Friday and Saturday. Junior Terrence Trammell, the 1999 NCAA champion, will make his 2000 110m hurdles at the Sea Ray Relays on Friday. Trammel"!, a five-time NCAA champion and the 2000 Indoor National Male Athlete of the Year, has a personal best of 13.28 in the 110m hurdles. NCAA champion Miki Barber, a sophomore, will also make her 2000 debut in the 400m. Barber, the runner up indoors in 2000, was also the run ner-up at the 1999 NCAA Outdoor Championships. - Demetria Washington will also make her 2000 debut in the 200m this weekend. Washington, a five-time All American, has a personal best of 23.50 in the 200m. South Carolina will run both of its “A” 4x100m relays in Knoxville Sat urday. All eight runners on the men’s and women’s relays are All-Americans, with six NCAA titles among them. Between the two relays there are 42 All-American honors. The men’s relay, which won the NCAA title in 1999, features 24 All American honors. Terrence Trammell and Jimmie Hackley are 10-time All Americans, Clint Crenshaw is a one time All-American and Jamie Price is a three-time All-American. The women’s relay features 18 All American honors in the foursome. Mi ki Barber, the 2000 NCAA champion in the 200m, has been tabbed All-Amer ican seven times, twin sister Me’Lisa and teammate Demetria Washington are five-time All-Americans, and Mechelle Lewis was All-American for the first time in the 200m at the 2000 Indoor Championships. The women’s 4x100m relay was fifth at the NCAA Championships in 1999. Track & Field see page « Sf... . Sean Rayford Gamecock Sports use junior Terrence Trammell (with head coach Curtis Frye) will run in the 110-meter hurdles Friday at the Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville. Third base hecklers not as bad as they seem I’ve noticed a disturbing trend at Saige Frye Field this season. Lord knows, I shouldn’t even be thinking about the subject, considering the Gamecocks are in the middle of what could possibly be their best sea son ever, but after what happened Saturday, I feel compelled. Saturday, as USC gamely hung on to beat Mississippi State 4-3,1 no ticed an ugly incident occurring in sec tion seven of the stands, above the vis itor’s dugout on the third-base side. A uniformed USCPD officer was removing a fan from the stadium. I thought to myself, “Dave, why don’t you do a little investigative re porting and find out what’s going on?” This thought manifested itself as the officer proceeded to remove two oth er folks from the stadium. I thought, “Man, I guess those guys are drunk or something, or maybe yelling something obscene. That’s why they’re getting tossed.” Although I don’t like to admit I’m ever wrong on something, this time I was just flat wrong. I asked one of the fans who was in the section at the time why the three parties were thrown out. He said, “Because they were too loud.” Too loud? What next, people can get removed for wearing the wrong color shirt? This group of fans, commonly known as the “Third Base Hecklers,” has been sitting in section seven for I every home game this year. How do I know this? Because I have seen and heard them, and I’ve been to every home game this year. Anyway, I kept talking to the tan, who wanted to remain anonymous, and he informed me that a USCPD officer has also been present, usually within three rows, at every home game this year. Well, this action is perfectly justi fied. Last season, the hecklers chose to berate a Kentucky player because of an unfortunate incident involving the play er and parental abuse. I don’t care what you think you can say, but don’t talk about someone’s dad abusing them. It’s disrespectful, arro gant and flat-out wrong. I This incident was enough reason for the patrolmen at the games this year. The fan made no aigument about it. He ClONIMGER see page 13 David Cloninger Who Else? L