The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, June 18, 2003, Page 10, Image 10
“ 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