The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 15, 2002, Page 8, Image 8
g THE GAMECOCK ♦ Monday, April 15, 2002
GAME SCHEDULE
MEN'S TENNIS vs. Clemson at Belton, S.C., 3:30 p.m. Tuesday
fj0NTA( IT US BASEBALL at Clemson, 7:15 p.m. Wednesday
BASEBALL vs. LSU, 7 p.m. Friday
Story ideas? Questions? Comments? SOFTBALL at Florida (doubleheader), noon Saturday
E-mail us at gamecocksports@hotmail.com TRACK AND FIELD at Georgia, Saturday
SPRING FOOTBALL GAME
“With the
strength of arms
of our
quarterbacks, we
can stretch out
the field.... With
linebackers, we
are more solid. On
the secondary, we
have a problem at
free safety. The
spurs on the
second unit are
solid.”
LOU HOLTZ
use FOOTBALL HEAD COACH
Dondrial Pinkins,
quarterback of the
White team during the
first half, had a tough
time courtesy of the
Garnet defense. He
later became
quarterback of the
Garnet team, however,
and helped finish off
the 53-48 victory.
Because of the spring
game rules, though,
the game was more
lopsided than the
score let on; the
starters handily
finished off the rest of
the Gamecocks and
outscored the other
players 78-6.
PHOTO BY AARON HARK/THE
GAMECOCK
Gamecocks starters demolish reserves; Jenkins cements status
BY JAMES STARNES
THE GAMECOCK
Corey Jenkins led a relentless
offensive attack by the first team
offense in Saturday’s spring foot
ball game, with his Garnet squad
outscoring the White team 78-6.
The rising senior answered any
remaining questions as to
whether he is capable of being the
man at quarterback this year. The
Columbia native led all rushers
with 91 yards on eight carries and
led all passers by completing 11 of
18 for 245 yards and four touch
downs, including an 80-yard strike
to Andrea Gause.
“Corey Jenkins did an excellent
job. He performed very, very
well,” head coach Lou Holtz said.
He has “good arm strength, and
we have got more speed at wide re
ceiver. There was never a ques
tion of the arm strength of Corey
Jenkins. He just never hit the cut
off man... He will only get better.”
The Garnet team, which con
sisted of the Gamecocks’ starters,
led 42-17 at the half only to have
the score reversed on them by
Holtz to start the second half.
Dondrial Pinkins, who moved
over from the White team to the
Garnet in the second half, scored a
3-yard touchdown run with 35 sec
onds remaining for the “official”
53-48 Garnet victory.
The starting offense racked up
615 total yards, with 282 of them
on the ground and 333 of them in
the air.
Andrew Pinnock made a sound
argument that life after Derek
Watson will be OK, as he punished
the White team defense for 80
yards and two touchdowns on
nine carries. Thez Robinson,
Gonzie Gray and Daccus
Thurman also had nice afternoons
running the football.
The Carolina receiving corps
was solid even without rising
sophomore Matthew Thomas, who
injured his ankle in a pick-up bas
ketball game over spring break.
“James Adkisson played well,”
Holtz said. “He and Andrea Gause,
they have got speed. With the
strength of arms of our quarter
backs, we can stretch out the field.”
Adkisson, Gause and Robinson
each caught four passes for the
Garnet team, while Ricky Ricks
had six receptions. Even with the
departure of Brian Scott, the
Gamecocks appear to have their
most talented group 0/ receivers
yet in the Holtz era. Ryan Brewer,
the leading receiver returning
from last year’s team, did not play.
The downside to the offensive
explosion is that it was Carolina’s
defense giving up all those points.
It should be noted, however, that
Carolina ran its first team offense
against the second team defense
throughout most of the game, and,
with the exception of a couple of'
big plays, the coaches were pleased.
“Depth is a problem, especially
on the defensive line,” Holtz said.
“Langston Moore and Dennis
Quinn we know are solid. We have
to replace John Stamper. With
linebackers, we are more solid. On
the secondary, we have a problem
at free safety. The spurs on the sec
ond unit are solid.
“For us to be a good football
team, George Gause has to be a
dominant player. He is one of the
best players on the team. We start
ed him at linebacker, but with the
development of (Lance) Laury,
(Jeremiah) Garrison and lack of
depth at defensive line, we had to
put him on the line.”
When asked at the post-game
news conference whether Gause
would remain on the second team
defense, Holtz replied, “If George
Gause is on the second unit, I don’t
expect anybody to get a first down
on us. I am a George Gause fan.”
Rising senior Rashad Faison,
last year’s leading tackier, injured
his knee in the game and could not
finish. The injury does not appear
to be serious, though, and he should
be fully recovered in the fall.
There were about 18,000 fans in
attendance. Before the game,
awards were given out to out
standing spring performers.
Jenkins and linebacker Jermaine
Lemon won MVP honors.
Comments on this story?E-mail
gamecocksports@hotmail.com
Baseball pounds Vanderbilt
BY CHRIS FOY
THE GAMECOCK
Looking to make a statement af
ter being swept by Arkansas, the
No. 7 USC baseball team did just
that with a three-game sweep of
Vanderbilt this past weekend in
Nashville. With the wins, the
Gamecocks improved to 28-8 on
the year and 9-5 in the SEC.
Friday: USC 7, Vanderbilt
5
The Gamecocks came out
swinging on Friday and tallied 16
hits, including Garris Gonce’s 10th
home run of the season. Gonce fin
ished the game 3-for-4 with two
RBIs, and third baseman Brian
Buscher also picked up three hits.
Despite jumping out to an early
1-0 lead in the first inning,
Carolina gave up a run in the bot
tom half of the inning.
In the second inning, however, af
ter a sacrifice bunt by Kevin Melillo,
Buscher scored on a passed ball.
Vandy attempted to draw closer,
but with the score 4-3, Gonce hit his
home run to put USC up by two runs.
Pitcher Gary Bell (6-2) went 52/3
innings to pick up the win. He al
lowed three runs on five hits. Blake
Taylor and Aaron Rawl pitched in
relief, with Rawl picking up his
first career save. Vanderbilt’s
Jeremy Sowers took the loss.
Saturday: USC 10,
Vanderbilt 1
The Gamecocks picked up
Saturday where they left off
Friday, with 11 hits and 10 runs to
once again top the Commodores.
Junior left-hander Steven
Bondurant gave up five hits over 7
1/3 innings to pick up the win and
improve to 5-0. In relief, Rocky
Evans gave up only one hit.
Carolina got on the board quick
ly and went up 3-0 in the first in
ning. Drew Meyer tripled and then
scored when Vanderbilt left fielder
John Kaye dropped Steve Thomas’
fly ball. Yaron Peters then hit his
13th home run of the year.
The Commodores picked up
their only run in the sixth inning
off back-to-back doubles by Karl
Nonemaker and Tony Mansolino.
USC was led by Meyer, Thomas
and Justin Harris, who each had
two hits. John Protho, who went
2-for-6, led the Commodores.
USC played errorless ball for
the 18th time in 35 games. With the
win and a Georgia loss, USC took a
half-game lead in the SEC Eastern
Division.
Sunday: USC 20,
Vanderbilt 13
For the fifth consecutive sea
son, Carolina swept Vanderbilt af
ter dCwning them 20-13 Sunday.
The Gamecocks continued their
potent offensive attack, with 22
hits and five home runs.
In the first inning, USC scored
six runs with a grand slam by
Gonce and solo home runs by
Landon Powell and Buscher.
Buscher tallied two home runs on
the afternoon.
Peters picked up his 14th home
run of the season in the eighth in
ning. Meyer picked up four hits,
which included two doubles. Trey
Dyson and Melillo each had three
hits, while Peters, Gonce, Buscher,
Powell and Harris notched two
apiece.
Chris Spigner, the second of four
Gamecocks pitchers, earned the
win to improve to 4-0. Chris
Maultsby, the second of seven
Commodore pitchers, took the loss.
The closest Vanderbilt came
was within one run at 12-11 after
six innings.
USC now holds a game and a
half lead in the SEC East.
Comments on this stofy?E-mail
gamecocksports@hotmail.com
PHOTO BY ROBERT GRUEN/THE GAMECOCK
In the first game against Vanderbilt on Friday, Garris Gonce, far
right, hit his 10th home run and had two RBIs.
Lady Gamecocks
blank Kentucky in
3 straight games
BY MATT ROTHENBERG
THE GAMECOCK
The Lady Gamecocks softball
team returned to its winning
ways this past weekend with a
three-game sweep of the
Kentucky Wildcats.
Carolina (34-12, 15-6 SEC)
. blanked Kentucky 4-0 and 5-0 in
Saturday’s doubleheader and
shut out the Wildcats 2-0 Sunday.
USC was looking to rebound
off a tough extra-inning loss to
Georgia as Kentucky (19-23,3-12)
tried to play the role of spoiler in
the SEC Eastern Division.
Lady Gamecocks coach Joyce
Compton was pleased with her
team’s play against the Wildcats.
“It feels good to get out swing
ing again,” she said. “We need
ed that as a team. I felt like we
could’ve taken a nosedive after
the loss. Kentucky is a good team
with a lot of returning players,
but I think our pitching did a
good job of holding them down.”
Game 1: USC 4,
Kentucky 0
The Lady Gamecocks got on
board early in the series opener
and never looked back. Debralee
Troesh’s first-inning single
scored Amber Curtis, while
Danielle Quinones’ second-in
ning single brought in Melissa
Sandel. USC added two more
runs in the sixth inning on
Quinones’ two-run single.
Megan Matthews went the
distance and scattered seven hits
while striking out four.
Game 2: USC 5,
Kentucky 0
On Saturday, Carolina pitching
once again stifled the Wildcats.
Stacey Johnson threw a complete
game two-hitter to earn the win
and improve her record to 10-5.
“Every team is good in the
SEC,” Johnson said. “You have
to come back each day and work
twice as hard as the other day.”
Quinones opened the scoring
by driving in Adrianna Baggetta
on a triple to center field in the
third inning. After Kim Evans
brought home Nancy Crane with a
fifth-inning sacrifice fly, Quinones
crossed the plate on Curtis’ single.
Meghan Cornett capped the
!» i
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