Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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10 THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, June 26, 2002 contact us TDfYD Tl O THIS WEEK IN use SPORTS HISTORY LiUlNlALil Uo ' I—* I I K I 1987: Former USC guard Michael Foster is drafted in the E-mail us at gamecocksportsfaJiotmail.com L L L L KJ) seventh round of the NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers COLLEGE WORLD SERIES State Champs! BY BRAD SENKIW THE GAMECOCK The South Carolina baseball team’s incredible championship run came to an end Saturday when the Gamecocks came up six runs short of the elusive national title. After losing to Georgia Tech in the opener and winning four straight elimination games, the magic ran out against Texas (57 15) in a 12-6 loss. USC (57-17) did eliminate Clemson (54-17) with im pressive 12-4 and 10-2 wins while a record total 223,762 fans attend ed this year’s College World Series. VMnestaf. USC 12,Clemson4 The Gamecocks once again faced elimination Wednesday but this time at the hands of their in-state rival Clemson. USC overcame a quick Tiger start to remainln the race with a 12-4 blowout of Clemson. Trey Dyson was the hero of the day as he went 2-for-4 with a pair of two-run homers in the effort. Landon Powell and Steve Thomas both added to the explosive Carolina bats with solo home runs of their own. Freshman pitcher Matt Campbell (4-2) pitched five and one-third scoreless innings with a career-high eight strikeouts. The Gamecocks handed Steve Reba (13-4) the loss as he gave up four earned runs in five innings pitched. v^icinaun gui uu iu a uaiify wucii leadoff hitter Zane Green drilled the first pitch of the game to left field for a home run off of starter Blake Taylor. Then in the third, Michael Johnson put the Tigers up 3-0 with a two-run shot. Drew Meyer got the Gamecocks on track with a single to right that scored Garris Gonce and Justin Harris brought Meyer home with a single up the middle. South Carolina’s big inning came in the sixth with Thomas’ homer to left along with Dyson’s second homer of the day Kevin Melillo and Justin Harris added RBI singles to give USC the 9-4 lead. PHOTO BY ROBERT GRUEN/THE GAMECOCK USC's designated hitter Trey Dyson enjoys last win at Sarge Fyre Reid. USC defeats Clemson, falls in final Campbell continued to stifle Clemson batters and Powell’s solo shot in the eighth ended the Tigers hopes of a comeback to force the game on Friday. Friday: USC 10, Clemson 2 USC rolled over rival Clemson to make it to the final game of the College World Series on Friday. It was the third team the Gamecocks eliminated as they soared behind Steve Bondurant’s complete game. Landon Powell and Kevin Melillo led Carolina with three RBIs each. Garris Gonce went 3-for-6 with two RBI’s as USC defeated Clemson’s ace Matt Henrie (13-5). Clemson used three other pitch ers but could not find an answer for South Carolina’s 13 hits and 10 runs. Bondurant (7-4) gave up eight hits and struck out seven in his domi nant performance. Clemson shortstop and national player of the year Khalil Greene managed a l-for-4 day with three er rors in the loss. USC grabbed three runs in the second behind Powell’s two RBI sin gles and a RBI from Melillo. The Gamecocks struck again in the third with two runs and then added five in the seventh inning. USC allowed one run in the ninth but it was not enough for Clemson as the Gamecocks celebrated their first trip to the championship game since 1975. ' Saturday: Texas 12, USC 6 South Carolina ran out of gas on Saturday when they met the Texas Longhorns in a 12-6 loss in the final of the CWS. Texas scored in all but three innings and got a tremendous pitching performance from Justin Simmons (16-1) and most valuable player and freshman reliever Huston Street. Justin Harris was the only bright spot for the Gamecocks with a 2-for 5 day and two RBIs. Freshman Aaron Rawl (7-2) gave up four runs ♦ BASEBALL, SEE RAGE 11 Tigers struggle under pressure J.KEITH ALLEN GAMECOCKSPORTS@HOTMAlLCOM Jack Leggett’s strange * but true World Series adventure stories When teams and coaches play in big games, their true character comes out. The national stage brings out the best, and the worst, in people. You get a real sense of what a person is like and what their motivations are. The spotlight of the College World Series brought Clemson head coach Jack Leggett to the fore, and his true colors showed through. Beneath the orange, purple, and those God-awful white shoes lies a petty and self-absorbed man. Now, before I’m accused of rubbing in the fact that my school sent Clemson packing on Friday afternoon, think back to the events of last week. Leggett’s bizarre actions did almost as much to undo his squad as USC did. Following Clemson’s 12-4 loss to Carolina on Wednesday, Leggett talked about everything but his own players blowing two leads in the game. He complained about USC hitters admiring the apogees of their home runs and mocking Clemson batters as they struck out. He spoke of bean ball retaliations and claimed to have “something” waiting for the ♦ ALLEN, SEE PAGE 11