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“ THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, June 18, 2003 TAATAmn THIS WEEK IN USC SPORTS HISTORY CONTACT US T_>||T3 rp 2001: USC track team had eight athletes compete in the E-mail us at gamecocksports@hotmail.com I \ / | 1 I LA} USA Championships and advance to World competitions. Gamecocks ousted from College World Series Stanford ends Carolina’s run BY BEN SINCLAIR AND BRAD SENKIW THE GAMECOCK For the second-consecutive sea son, the USC baseball team (45-22) found itself in the losers’ bracket of the ^College World Series. Unfortunately, this year’s team couldn’t make it to the final game and managed only one win against LSU (45-22-10) and lost twice to Stanford (49-15), which eliminat ed the Gamecocks from any chance of a national title. Game 1: Stanford 8 - USC 0 Friday the 13th couldn’t have been scarier for the Gamecocks. In a game eerily similar to last sea son’s lopsided loss in the first round to Georgia Tech, Carolina was pounded 8-0 by the Stanford PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK Otis Harris finished second In the nation In the 400-meter. Cardinal in game one of the College World Series. USC had no answer for Stanford pitcher John Hudgins (12-3), who pitched eight scoreless innings on just 84 pitches. He sur rendered one walk and two hits —a double by Justin Harris and a single by Kevin Melillo. “All game long (Hudgins) kept us off balance with his fastball and change up,” said Melillo. “He threw strikes when he had to and it worked out for him.” David Marchbanks (15-3) last ed three and one-third innings, giving up seven hits and six runs. Despite the loss, USC head coach Ray Tanner remained opti mistic his team could put a streak together. “There’s never an advantage to this situation,” said Tanner. “We do have some experience with this.” Game 2: USC 11 -LSU 10 The Gamecocks bounced back from an opening-round disap pointment to knock off LSU 11-10 in an elimination game on Sunday. This one had the makings of a USC blowout early as the Gamecocks led 6-0 in the first in ning and chased LSU starter Bo Pettit from the game before the in ning ended. But LSU, the SEC regular-sea son champion, would not go away quietly. They cut the lead to 6-3 in the second inning when they belt ed two home runs off Steven Bondurant. Despite a solo home run to Justin Harris in the bottom of the second inning to extend the USC lead to 7-3, LSU scored seven runs over the next three innings to take a 10-7 lead. The Gamecocks called on soph omore pitcher Matt Campbell to stop the LSU attack, and he did not R^HOT^^ANmWUGOJNAH^AMECOCK Jon Coutlangus hustles to first base in an earlier game this season. USC was eliminated by Stanford but knocked out LSU in the second game. disappoint. Campbell picked up the win, allowing just two hits over the final five and one-third innings. Down 10-7 in the seventh in ning, Melillo hit his 12th home run of the year, trimming the lead to 10-8. With the Gamecocks facing elimination, Brian Buscher and Landon Powell pro vided clutch hitting in the eighth inning. With two men on, Buscher singled to score Steve Tolleson, and an error allowed ♦ BASEBALL, SEE PAGE 11 Bailey takes two titles at NCAA Championships BY MATT ROTHENBERG THE GAMECOCOK It just wasn’t meant to be for this year’s Gamecock track ath letes. In 2002, the USC women’s track team celebrated the school’s first national championship for a team, while the men finished sixth at the NCAA Championships. In 2003, however, the women’s team —leading the pack going into the final day —finished third, and the men’s track team landed in 10th place at last weekend’s NCAA Championships in Sacramento, Calif. Defeated on its home track last year, the LSU Tigers took the women’s championship with 64 points, 17 ahead of the Gamecocks. Arkansas won the men’s title, fin ishing 37 points ahead of Carolina’s 22. But despite falling short in the overall competi ■ tions, the Gamecocks had reason to celebrate. Sprinter Aleen Bailey won two in Championships, Bailey outracing her oppo nents in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. Bailey, a senior, defeated LSU’s Muna Lee in both of the races and was one of 13 Gamecocks named All-Americans during the meet. Men’s sprinter Otis Harris’ fin ish in the 400 wasn’t as clear-cut though. Harris was locked in a tight battle with Minnesota’s Adam Steele and Mitch Potter, and it was determined that Steele crossed the finish line six-thou sandths of a second ahead of Harris, with Potter finishing just behind Harris. Harris’ mark of 44.57 seconds in the race set a new school record — one that he set in the semifinals of the 400. “I have never Heard of a race this close, but that’s what you have to expect—a hard, close fin ish,” said Harris on his second place finish in the 400. “I thought I had Potter, but I didn’t see Steele, he was out in lane seven. “I was definitely thinking Potter and that’s why I thought I had it won. It was a great run. I don’t want to take anything from Adam Steele. It was a great race and I congratulate him on the win,” He said. USC head track coach Curtis Frye was pleased with results of the multi-day competition. “Ourwomen had a great meet under the conditions, running lots of rounds like everyone else here,” Frye said. “Aleen Bailey had two great wins, and I can’t say enough about her. Tiffany Ross ran 11 races this week, which is incredi ble. ' “I am happy to be th? coach of the women. Miki Barber also fin ished wonderfully in the 4x400 re ♦ TRACK, SEE PAGE 11