The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 14, 2003, Page 9, Image 9
Gamecocks sweep Florida in three
BY MATT ROTHENBERG
THE GAMECOCK
For the first time since 1997,
the Gamecock softball team was
able to take out the Florida
Gators in a series sweep. No. 15
USC won all three games from
No. bo Florida, and the
Gamecocks moved up in the SEC
Eastern Division standings.
Carolina won both ends of
Saturday’s doubleheader with
scores of 2-1 and 3-1 before win
ning the final game 2-1 on
Sunday.
“I thought we came out and
played very enthusiastic and very
intense both days,” USC head
coach Joyce Compton said. On
Sunday, “I thought when we got
ourselves into a hole in the first
inning and the seventh inning, we
held our composure and did a
good job to get out.”
Game 1: USC 2 - Fla. 1
The Gamecocks started their
series against the Gators with a
big come:from-behind victory in
the first game of the doublehead
er.
USC fell behind in the top of the
fifth inning, when Florida catch
er Kristen Butler singled to cen
ter field, scoring Brittani
Houghton all the way from second
base. But that is all Gamecock
pitcher Stacey Johnson would al
low the Gators.
Carolina began its comeback in
the sixth inning, when Debralee
Troesh’s triple to center field
brought in Jodi Fittro to tie the
game at one run.
Then, with two outs in the bot
tom of the seventh, Fittro led off
the inning with a walk and ad
vanced to second base on a walk
to Troesh. The winning run came
home when Danielle Quinones
smashed a double to score Fittro.
Johnson pitched a complete
game for the Gamecocks, allowing
one run on six hits and striking
out five.
Game 2: USC 3 - Fla. 1
Melanie Henkes pitched her
H tenth complete
game of the sea
son, giving up one
unearned run on
five hits while
striking out five
Gators as the
Gamecocks rolled
Henkes over Florida.
The Gators
once again pushed ahead early
when Lindsay Norfleet scored af
ter stealing home plate. Yet that
would be all Florida would get.
Ashley Smith started the scor
ing in the second inning as she
drove in Quinones with a base hit
to tie the game. Quinones went 2
for-3 in the second game of the
doubleheader.
Carolina broke through again
in the third inning, when Meghan
Cornett’s single brought in Troesh
and Fittro with the go-ahead runs.
Cornett also went 2-for-3 in the
game.
With the victory, Henkes’
record improved to 13-2.
Game 3: USC 2 - Fla. 1
Johnson got the call for USC in
the final game of the three-game
series, and started shakily before
settling down. Florida went ahead
in the first inning when Johnson
walked Nikki Baldwin with the
bases loaded to bring in Jackie
Marchetta.
But through each of the next
five innings, Johnson retired the
Gators in order, allowing USC to
make another comeback.
Carolina started in the third in
ning; Troesh hit a double with two
runners on base to score Melissa
Sandel.
Despite being largely stifled by
Gator pitcher Jenny Gladding, the
Gamecocks broke out the bats
again in the sixth inning, when
Smith doubled to center field to
bring in Cornett for the eventual
game-winning run.
“We were able to put a couple
of hits together when we needed
to,” Compton said about USC’s
clutch hitting. “We didn’t hit as
well as we would have liked to see,
but the bottom line is that we got it
done.”
Yet Florida wasn’t about to
leave so soon. The Gators loaded
the bases in the seventh inning be
fore Henkes entered to record the
final two outs. Johnson (15-6) re
ceived the win after tossing a
three-hitter, while Henkes
notched her first save of the sea
son.
The Gamecocks will return to
action this weekend with a three
game series against Alabama.
“Every win’s a good win. I don’t
care who it’s against at this point,”
Compton said. “We’re sitting here
with six more SEC games, and we
need to look to run the table and
get help somewhere else. We’re
right in it, and that’s where we
want to be.”
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PHOTO BY MARK SCHILLING/THE GAMECOCK
Debralee Troesh, right, cheers as Meghan Cornett scores the
game-winning run in Sunday’s 2-1 victory over the Gators. USC
swept Florida for the first time since the 1997 season.
Offense
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
have a number of sure-handed op
tions to throw to, along with Chavez
Donnings, with four catches and 35
yards, and Mikal Goodman, with
four catches and 50 yards.
“I gained some more confidence
catching the ball. I’m still a little
rusty knowing all the plays, but I
just did the best I could do and did
what coach asked me to do,”
Muhammad said.
Pinkins also was impressed with
Muhammad. “Youcouldjusttellhe
had a feel for the ball,” he said.
Also coming on were the tight
ends, a group that many fans
thought Holtz long ignored. Brian
Brownlee caught five passes for 53
yards, while Andy Boyd had one
catch.
The offensive lines performed
mostly well in the scrimmage, de
spite Rathe and inexperienced
backup center Kris Mick having
some snapping difficulties.
But it was nothing Holtz
thought was particularly hard to
correct, especially if he would
have Mick “snap the ball all sum
mer to his mother.”
USC’s placekickers were some
what effective Saturday, with
Daniel Weaver missing a 43-yard
field goal but making three extra
points.
Charlie Carpenter made one of
his two extra point attempts, as
well. Returning kickoff specialist
Joey Bowers also had some com
petition with newcomer Kip
Covington.
Even though there is plenty of
room for improvement after 12
practices, with some additional
fine-timing,'the Gamecock offense
appears ready for the challenges
it will face in 2003.
“I think when the first team
gets together and the second team
gets together, like we have been
all spring, I think we’ll be a lot bet
ter than we were today,” Pinkins
said.
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Defense
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
“I think as a team we did a pret
ty good job,” Robinson said.
“Right now, it’s a lot more think
ing for us. Only thing that’s dif
ferent than last year’s defense is
the formations and having to
think a little bit more at corner.”
The weakness for' the
Gamecock defense on both squads
was at the linebacker position.
With Ricardo Hurley, Jeremiah
Garrison and Lance Laury out
with injuries, a thin linebacker po
sition left head Coach Lou Holtz
with many questions.
“I don’t know how tough we are
at linebacker,” Holtz said. “That’s
probably been the most disap
pointing thing this spring. I’m con
cerned about linebacker because
that’s where toughness starts on de
fense.”
Without the presence of many
starters at linebacker, Orus
Lambert and Marcus Lawrence got
a chance to play well. Cosh said
Lawrence, who led the Garnet
team with eight tackles, said
Lawrence was definitely making
plays. Lambert led all defensive
players with nine tackles, eight of
which were unassisted.
Holtz did think there were sev
eral positives for the defense.
“We were a little better on third
down; we’ve worked hard on
that,” Holtz said. “We still aren’t
as good as we need to be.”
“I thought we deflected more
passes today at the line of scrim
mage then we did in the last two
years combined,” he said.
The Garnet team was able to
force one fumble, the only
turnover of the game. One of the
highlights for the White team was
a fumble recovery by Jason
Capers in the second quarter on
the Garnet’s 45-yard line.
Holtz said the lack of intercep
tions was because of good deci
sions by the quarterbacks and the
receptions receivers did make
were under tough man coverage.
Josh Brown, who Holtz was
pleased with, punted well for the
White side with four punts for an
average of 46.8 yards. Morgan
Cooke and Tyler Ford punted for
the Garnet team and managed 31
yard and 26-yard averages, re
spectively.
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E-mail
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BRIEFLY
McPherson wins at
Boilermaker Invite
USC’s Kristy McPherson
shot a two-under-par 70 on
Sunday to take the title at the
Lady Boilermaker Invitational
in West Lafayette, Ind.
McPherson, an All-American,
was in the lead of the
Invitational from beginning to
end and earned her first title
of the season. Last month,
McPherson tied for first place
at the Bryan National
Collegiate, but lost a playoff.
Adrienne Gautreaux tied
for 14th place after firing an 80
on Sunday. In Saturday’s
rounds, Gautreaux had been
as high as third place. She fin
ished 11 strokes back at 229.
The two Gamecocks used
the Lady Boilermaker
Invitational as preparation for
the SEC Championship next
weekend in Lexington, Ky.
~ McPherson is looking to
win her third-straight SEC ti
tle, while the Gamecock team
hopes to defend its SEC cham
pionship.
Women’s tennis
swept by Florida
The 37th-ranked USC wom
en’s tennis team dropped a
match 7-0 to the 3rd-ranked
Florida Gators on Saturday in
Gainesville, Fla. Florida im
proves to 22-2 overall and 10-1
in the SEC, while USC falls to
12-9 overall and 5-6 in the SEC.
The Gators have now won 21
in a row against the
Gamecocks.
Florida swept the three dou
bles matches to earn an early
point. The pair of Lindsay
Dawaf and Julia Scaringe shut
out Catherine Brown and
Audrey George 8-0, while the
Gamecocks’ pairs of Kathy
Boyanovich and Jodi Kenoyer
as weE as DanieEe Wiggins and
Magda Wojdylo both lost 8-3.
The Gators also won aE six
singles matches over Carolina.
USC will return to the
courts on Thursday when they
participate in the SEC
Tournament in Knoxville,
Tenn.
- Senkiw
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
had his ups-and-downs, but in
the end, maybe the hottest
player on the tour took his
third victory of the year.
"Weir just’had the confi
dence this weekend. Don’t get
me wrong, his game was good,
but Weir didn’t falter with vet
erans like Singh and Jose
Maria Olazabal breathing
down his neck. _
There is just something tru
ly special about the Masters.
Seeing the smile of the man
who wears the green jacket
shows you every year that the
’ happiest person in the world
is on that special Sunday.
It was captivating, culmi
nating and titillating like it is
every year. Whether you like
the winner or not, watching the
Masters gives me the feeling,
that spring is in the air and
magic can happen at Augusta
National. There is and never
. will be a greater sight than the
azaleas and life that the won
derful course brings.
I don’t see how anyone,
whether golf is your choice
sport or not, can turn their
nose up to the most prestigious
golf tournament ever. No mat
ter what controversy sur
rounds that very surreal envi
ronment, it will represent tra
dition and triumph.
. Senkiw is a third-year print
journalism student.
Baseball
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
and Jon Coutlangus both had
RBI singles.
Mario Garza, who was 1-for
3 with a three-run home run
and C.J. Smith, who hit a two
run home run in a 2-for-4 day,
led the Gators.
Mike Pete (2-1) recorded the
win for Florida, who used four
pitchers in the win.
Carolina now returns home
to play Wofford on Wednesday
at 7 p.m.
_
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