The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 14, 2003, Page 8, Image 8
g THE GAMECOCK ♦ Monday, April 14, 2003 GAME SCHEDULE
, 1 ■ ’V / \ ■ ^ w m -m / BASEBALL vs. Wofford, 7 p.m. Wednesday
I B M \ I I f I 1 L 1 MEN’S TENNIS at SEC Tournament
CONTACT TTSs I_,#■ 1 1 J ' I ’ in Oxford, Miss., Thursday-Sunday
mu 1 uo ^ | fl ■ fl ^ fl . WOMEN’S TENNIS at SEC Tournament
Story ideas? Questions? Comments? I \ / I I I k / 111 Knoxvme- Tenn., Thursday-Saturday, Monday
E-mailusatgamecockspqrts@hotmail.com _ B _BL_ ...M,.. r\_/ SOFTBALL vs. Alabama (DH), 5 p.m. Friday
USC solid in Spring Game
Offense shows
little shakiness
under Pinkins
BY MATT ROTHENBERG
THE GAMECOCK
In last season’s finale against
Clemson, Dondrial Pinkins
showed flashes of what he could do
as the starting quarterback for the
Gamecock football team. During
Saturday’s Spring Game, Pinkins
showed that he is capable of tak
ing the reins of USC’s offense.
Leading the White team to a 21
13 victory over the Garnet squad,
Pinkins went 16-for-24 as he
passed for 212 yards and rushed
for a touchdown. Mike Rathe, cur
rently pegged to be Pinkins’ back
up, sparkled for the Garnet as he
went 18-for-30 with 229 yards and
two touchdowns — one passing
and one rushing.
USC head coach Lou Holtz
liked the efforts of his passers.
“I thought Dondrial was excel
lent. I think he’s matured, he un
derstands, he runs the team well,
and I thought he played excep
tionally well,” Holtz said. “Mike
Rathe showed some good deci
sions, some good competitive
ness. I was very pleased with both
of them.”
Added Rathe, “We simplified a
lot of things, kept everything pret
ty basic with the football. I was
comfortable with a lot of things.”
While there was not much in
the way of scoring, the Gamecock
faithful got a good look at who
will be moving the ball for
Carolina. Kenny Irons was clear
ly in control of the tailback posi
tion following the game; he
rushed for 99 yards on the Garnet
side. Daccus Turman and Gonzie
Gray split the handoffs for the
White team, and each had a
touchdown on the ground, as
well. On the Garnet team’s first
drive of the game, Irons busted
out a 37-yard run in a third-and
three situation.
But perhaps the biggest stars
on offense for the Gamecocks were
the receivers, namely Troy
Williamson and recently convert
ed receiver Taqiy Muhammad.
Williamson, who emerged last
year as a bona-fide deep threat for
USC, finished with 122 yards on
seven receptions, including a 52
yard touchdown from Rathe. The
two also connected in the second
quarter for a 31-yard pass on a
third down.
“I made some places that I
needed to, and I feel pretty good
about it,” Williamson said about
his afternoon. He also said he will
face less pressure to be the only
major receiver because he will
have Muhammad on the other
side of the field.
Muhammad is quickly becom
ing a go-to receiver for Carolina,
as shown by his seven catches for
149 yards. Pinkins now appears to
♦ OFFENSE, SEE PAGE 9
Defensive line,
secondary give
team a new look
BY BRAD SENKIW
THE GAMECOCK
With spring being a time of re
newal and rebirth, the USC foot
ball team’s defense looked to do
just that during Saturday’s
Spring Game. As Charlie Strong
departed and Chris Cosh moved
in to take over as defensive coor
dinator several months ago, the
Gamecocks unveiled their new
four-man front defensive scheme.
Cosh applied the new defense
with few blitz packages so his
players could learn to play un
der the new system.
“You’re trying to get them ac
climated, and you’re trying to
see not so much of if a scheme
works but if fundamentals and
techniques work.”
Although the new defense
didn’t force many turnovers or
make any exceptionally strong
plays, the Garnet and White
squads showcased many solid in
dividual performances. With the
new four-man front being used to
apply pressure on the quarter
back, the defensive lineman chal
lenged quarterbacks Dondrial
Pinkins and Mike Rathe.
Moe Thompson played ex
tremely well for the Garnet team
with seven tackles, six unassist
ed, and one sack.
“Moe Thompson was a lot of
places all over the field, very ac
tive and causing some havoc,”
Cosh said.
George Gause, who recorded
five tackles with one for a loss,
thought that the new defense
helped him perform well.
“I’m kind of free this year,”
Gause said. “I can make more
plays.”
Preston Thome played excep
tionally strong on the line, tack
ling Rathe, hurrying him on sev
eral occasions and deflecting one
pass attempt.
The anchor of the secondary,
cornerback Dunta Robinson,
didn’t get many balls thrown his
way during the game, but was
excited about the team’s defense.
♦ DEFENSE, SEE PAGE 9
PHOTO BY MARK SCHILLING/THE GAMECOCK
Center John Strickland, holding the ball, barks out a signal as the Garnet and White teams are
set at the line of scrimmage during Saturday's Spring Game. The White team, led by quarterback
Dondrial Plnkins and defensive lineman George Gause, beat the Garnet team 21-13.
Queen of the court
Peruvian tennis star Kathy Boyanovich emerges as a
major force to lead the Gamecocks through the season
BY SHAWN ROURK
THE GAMECOCK
A five-foot-five-inch Peruvian woman
shows up to the USC tennis facilities ahead
of her teammates. Shaking off the cold from
the outside, she goes through her routine
of preparing for another weekend match
— this one against No. 3 ranked Florida in
Gainesville.
It will be her last practice before her last
regular season match for USC. But no one
would notice it, because it is business as
usual for the 21-year-old star of the wom
en’s tennis team this season.
One can find senior Kathy Boyanovich’s
name riddled over the tennis team’s record
books. She is second all-time for USC’s
three-match wins in her career and has her
name in just about every other top statis
tic for the team.
Playing on a team that lost four of its top
players last season, Boyanovich has
stepped up to lead the team this season in
its chance to make three straight appear
ances in the NCAA Tournament.
“Kathy’s actually turned out to be a good
team leader. She encourages people and is
a little tough on them when they need to be
tough. I really think she’s done what she’s
needed to do,” women’s tennis head coach
Arlo Elkins said.
This team leader began her career with
USC after her sister, who played for
Winthrop University, suggested the uni
versity to her. Boyanovich joined the team
in the spring semester of her freshman
year. She’s just the second player to do so
under Elkins.
A native of Lima, Peru, Boyanovich said
she has been traveling to play tennis since
she was 10 years old. Coming into her first
season on the team, Boyanovich was al
ready a champion in Peru.
She posted a No.l ranking in the
Peruvian Junior National rankings and
also qualified for the Peruvian team in the
1999 Junior World Cup.
Boyanovich came'into this season with
57-34 career record overall. So far this sea
son, she has gone 9-16 overall and 3-8 in SEC
play.
She has not only catapulted to the No. 1
position on the team, but she has faced
some of the toughest competition in the na
tion during the past few weeks of this sea
son. Among those she has faced in recent
matches are the No. 1 and No. 3 players in
the nation.
“I think this season has been the tough
est I had. First, because I had to fill the No.
1 spot of Katarina Markovski, one of the
best players USC has ever had,”
Boyanovich said. “Second, because I had
knee surgery in the fall and it took some
time to recover.”
The smaller Boyanovich does not over
power her opponents. She does not have
the fastest or hardest serve on the court.
Like her favorite professional player,
Marcos Rios, she beats her opponents with
her brain by out-thinking them and turn
mg the court into her chessboard.
“I like playing smart on the
court. I believe that tennis is
not only being strong and hit
ting the ball hard. Being
able to play the ball
wherever you want
is more important
to me,” she said.
Elkins said:
“Just to look at her;
she’s a real powerful
girl. You know, she’s
not a big, physically
strong girl, so she has to
use her head a lot to play.
So she probably is one of
the smarter players I’ve
had here in a long time.
When she’s playing well,
she can hang with anyone in
the country.”
For now, Boyanovich will
finish her year with the Gamecocks and
look toward graduation. This fashion mer
chandising student has no plans at this
point to continue her tennis career. But,
in her fashion, she will go out in style.
“I have played for 15 years and never
took a long break,” she said. “I think I want
to rest for a while and see what happens
next. I am graduating and I’m only 21 years
old, so we’ll see.”
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@hotma il. com
Kathy
Boyanovich of
the Gamecock
women’s tennis
team has been a
big contributor
since coming to
USC from Peru.
She has played
the top
competition in
the SEC and the
country this
season,
including the
nation’s No. 1
and No. 3
ranked women’s
tennis players.
PHOTO BY JOHNNY
HAYNES/
THE GAMECOCK
Carolina wins series versus Florida
BY MATT ROTHENBERG
AND BRAD SENKIW
THE GAMECOCK
The USC baseball team
grabbed two big SEC road wins at
Florida this weekend. The
Gamecocks (22-14, 7-8 SEC) won
the first two games 9-4 and 10-2,
but dropped the last game 13-4 to
the Gators (25-11-1,6-8-1).
Game 1: USC 9 - Ha. 4
Justin Harris paced the
Gamecocks with a 4-for-6 day at the
plate as Steven Bondurant pitched
8 1/3 innings to lead USC to a 9-4
win over the Gators.
Florida took an early 3-0 lead be
fore Carolina struck back with a
four-run third inning. Michael
Campbell opened the scoring when
Steven Tolleson singled him in.
But Brian
Buscher had the
big hit with a
three-run home
run that brought
USC into the lead.
The Gators tied
the game in the
fourth inning Buscher
when Jonathan
Tucker scored on
a wild pitch, but from that point
forward, Bondurant kept the
Florida Gators scoreless.
Carolina went ahead for good
in the seventh inning, as Bryan
Triplett drove in Harris for the go
ahead run.USC would add four
more runs in the final two innings
to secure the victory. Landon
Powell added three hits in the win.
Bondurant almost went the dis
tance for the Gamecocks, yet he
earned his fourth win of the sea
son. He gave up four runs on ten
hits, striking out 12 batters, the
most for a USC pitcher this season.
Game 2: USC 10 - Ha. 2
Pitching once again paced the
Gamecocks, as David Marchbanks
tossed a complete-game four-hitter
to blow past the Gators.
Florida’s only runs came in the
second inning, off Jeff Corsaletti’s
two-run single. After giving up a
total of three hits in the inning,
Marchbanks made sure it was
lights out for the Gators.
Harris^ who went 4-for-5 at the
plate for Carolina, drove in two of
USC’s three runs in the third in
ning. Harris then scored on a
ground out by Buscher.
The Gamecocks added three
more runs before a four-run ninth
inning put the Gators away.
Kevin Melillo had a three-run
home run, Triplett scored on
Hank Parks’ hit. Marchbanks re
tired the side in the bottom of the
ninth for his seventh win of the
season.
Game 3: Fla. 13 - USC 4
The Gamecocks lost an early
lead and gave up runs in three big
innings to get hammered by
Florida 134 on Sunday. The Gators
hit four homeruns and scored five
runs in the third inning and sev
enth inning to take the win.
Cliff Donald (0-1)
lost his first start of
the season; he only
made it through 2
1/3 innings and
gave up five runs
on four hits. Four
Gamecock pitchers
combined to give Donald
up eight runs on 10
hits.
Melillo led Carolina at the plate
with a home run in a 2-for-4 day
with two RBIs and two runs scored.
USC picked up a run in the sec
ond innings off Melillo’s solo shot
to right, and Campbell hit a one
run single in the third inning.
The Gamecock got within one run
in the sixth inning when Melillo
.1
♦ BASEBALL, SEE PAGE 9
Weir’s
victory
adds to
golf lore
BRAD SENKIW
GAMECOCKSPORTS@HOTMAIL.COM
Rain, underdogs bring
twists to the Masters.
The tradition has come and
gone once again, as the Masters
wrapped up another sizzling year
with what was a totally different
tournament then we are used to.
Rain kept the players indoors
most of the week with little time
for practice rounds. To make mat
ters more difficult, Thursday’s
round was cancelled, and players
scrambled to play 54 holes in only
two days.
Not to mention
all of the contro
versy that sur
rounded the ex
clusive country
club and the
meiuuiauie
Martha Burk.
Fortunately, Burk Burk
and her antics
had little effect on what became
an exciting final round.
It was only fitting to end the
Masters with a sudden-death
playoff between two underdogs. I
wish the two competitors could
have played better golf on the ex
tra hole, but it’s nice to see the
drama taking place with the play
ers and not with the picketers.
There were plenty of other sto
ry lines on the week, including
Len Mattiace’s unpredictable per
formance, during which he
played an amazing 69 on Saturday
and an even more jaw-dropping
65 on Sunday, in his second
Masters appearance. Mattiace,
however, felt the pressure in the
end. It was once again difficult to
see a good guy like Mattiace grab
a big lead just to lose it when the
pressure mounted. I congratulate
him and was very impressed with
the big shots he hit --
time alter time.
And how about
the roller coaster
named Tiger
Woods, who went
from making the
cut with an amaz
ing final hole in Woods
the second round
to shooting a 66 in
the third round to drop off the
map on Sunday? During Woods’
attempt on the last hole of the
third round, he hit a shot from
the trees into a bunker and then
three feet from the pin to stick
around for the weekend.
It was hard to believe that ev
eryone’s favorite could have been
watching the final two rounds
from a couch like me, but Woods
hung around, hoping for his
third-straight green jacket.
Phil Mickelson once again chal
lenged on Sunday, but his efforts
fell short. Ernie Els and former
champion Vijay Singh both vied
for a shot at the top, but couldn’t
keep up with the underdog.
How about Jeff Maggert’s final
round, in which he went from al
most pulling away to hitting him
self after a shot that cost him two
strokes to getting an atrocious
eight on a the 12th~par 3 to bird
ing two of the final four holes.
That couldn’t have been scripted
for a movie, much less happen on
Sunday at the Masters.
But when the
sun went down
and the fans head
ed home, Mike
Weir stood tall
with the green
jacket wrapping
around the
Canadian. The We(r
first lefty to ever
win at Augusta
V <i
♦ SENKIW, SEE PAGE 9