The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 29, 2004, Page 9, Image 9
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^ THE GAMECOCK ♦ Monday, March 29, 2004 9
Game.Schedule
p MEN’S GOLF at Atlanta Intercollegiate in Atlanta, Ga.
LOntaCt. SOFTBALL at Tennessee, 4 p.m. Tuesday
Story ideas? Questions? Comments? BASEBALL vs. North Carolina, 7:15 p.m. Wednesday
E-mail us at gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu MEN’S TENNIS at Clemson, 2 p.m. Wednesday
Baseball
.drops 2,
slams 1
BY JOEL WALLACE
THE GAMECOCK
The USC baseball team lost a
pair of close games to Arkansas
over the weekend but avenged the
losses with a 10-2 bludgeoning of
the Razorbacks Sunday.
• The three-game series against
the Razorbacks (17-9, 3-3 SEC)
leaves the Gamecocks (21-4, 2-4)
with their second SEC series loss
in as many attempts.
Arkansas 5, USC 3
Under the lights at Baum
Stadium Friday night, the
Gamecocks seemed to be cruising
to their second conference victory.
Playing shortstop for USC for
the injured Steven Tolleson, Bryan
Triplett reached on an error in the
first inning and scored on a home
run by outfielder Michael
Campbell, his ninth on the year.
Arkansas put up a run in the
bottom of the first when outfielder
Jake Dugger crushed a Billy
Buckner pitch over the left-field
• wall. Buckner settled down after
that, giving up only one more
earned run, a homer by Scott
Hode in the fifth inning.
Going into the bottom of the
seventh inning, USC was up 3-2
with Buckner still on the mound.
With two outs, Kern Watts
walked. Buckner issued another
free pass to Danny Hamblin, and
Watts advanced to second. Haas
Pratt reached on an error by
USC’s Tommy King and Hamblin
advanced to third while Watts
scored to tie the game.
Freshman Arik Hempy came in
to relieve Buckner, recording outs
against the first three batters he
faced. With two outs in the eighth
inning, Hempy allowed a hit to
Devin Day. Day advanced to sec
ond on a wild pitch, and Hempy
followed by intentionally walking
Hode. With runners on first and
second, Dugger tripled to right
field to bring in the winning runs.
Arkansas 5, USC 4
Unfortunately for the
Gamecocks, game two of the series
was a lot like game one. Once
again, Arkansas took the lead late
in the game after a two-run sev
enth inning. After starter Aaron
Rawl gave up the go-ahead run on
a double by Hode, he was yanked
♦ BASEBALL, SEE PAGE 10
PHOTO BY MARK SCHILLING/THE GAMECOCK
Steve Tolleson hits the ball in action for USC. Tolleson, injured, did not play against Arkansas.
LeBron
joins the
league’s
royalty
Heading into the 2003-2004 NBA
season, I was one of the many
skeptics of the hype surrounding
LeBron James. All season long, I
sat back and watched the story of
the most phenomenal rookie sea
son in NBA history unfold, all the •
time waiting for the hype to be de
flated. Today’s article is to inform
readers of the
obvious: I was
wrong, and
LeBron is the
“King” of the
NBA.
There were
plenty of rea
sons to believe
LeBron James BEN SINCLAIR
would flop in Graduate
his first NBA student in
season. LeBron college of
had no finan- education
cial motivation
iu auacvc sui/tcoo m me nun.
Long before putting on a
Cleveland Cavaliers jersey for an
exhibition basketball game, he
had already earned over $100 mil
lion. After all, how many 18-year
old kids could handle having that
much money and still have the de
termination to work hard enough
to be successful in the NBA?
In addition, LeBron was given
more media hype than Kobe
Bryant, Michael Jordan, Shaq,
Tim Duncan or any other player
heading into the NBA. It was con
sidered ridiculous when his high
school games were televised on
ESPN and he posed for the cover
♦ SINCLAIR, SEE PAGE 10
Tigers trample Carolina
in 3-game series sweep
BY TERENCE WASHINGTON
THE GAMECOCK
In a three-game home series
against the Auburn Tigers this
weekend, the No. 15 USC softball
team (17-8,6-6 SEC) showed some
vulnerability after starting a
three-game win streak against
Arkansas. The Gamecocks
dropped all three games to
Auburn (26-4,8-1), which has won
10 of its last 11 games.
AU1, USCO
In game one of Saturday’s dou
bleheader, senior Stacey Johnson
pitched a good game, allowing only
two hits and striking out six.
Unfortunately, Johnson (9-3)
walked Auburn’s Lolani Alvarez
in the third inning. After stealing
second and then taking third on a
ground-out, Alvarez scored on a
■ passed ball by Gamecock junior
Tia Rogers. Auburn’s Kristen
Keyes (13-4) pitched a no-hitter and
struck out ten USC batters, hold
ing the Gamecocks to two base run
ners. Keyes would have earned a
perfect game, but she walked left
fielder Margaret Person.
The game ended USC’s home
win streak for the season, which
had stood at seven wins.
Ironically, the Tigers also broke
Carolina’s winning streak against
Auburn at home, which stood at
seven games.
AU 5, USC 1
Game two of the doubleheader
was not much better for the
Gamecocks as they struggled to
find offense against Auburn’s hot
pitching. USC dropped its first se
ries of the season, and Auburn
won its first series here in
Columbia. Auburn’s Holly Currie
improved her record to 7-0, while
Carolina sophomore Melanie
Henkes (5-4) took the loss. After
Auburn had a three-run third in
ning, Carolina switched in the
fourth and brought out junior
Aleca Johnson. Johnson got the
first put of the inning but still gave
up two runs, making the score 5
0. The Gamecocks’ only run came
in the fifth, when SEC Player of
the Week Nancy Crane’s single
brought right fielder Melissa
Sandel home.
AU 6, USC 5
Despite having already lost the
series, USC fought until the very
end. Auburn had a huge first in
ning, scoring four runs. USC
scored three runs in a rally but
♦ SOFTBALL, SEE PAGE 10
PHOTO BY JOHNNY HAYNES/THE GAMECOCK
Melissa Sandel slides in safely to home plate In USC’s game Sunday against Auburn. Sandel was
l-for-2 In the contests and scored two runs in the losing effort for the Gamecocks.
Gamecocks try to end losing culture during preseason practice
BY WES WOLFE
THE GAMECOCK
The USC football team, in addi
tion to getting in shape for the fall,
is trying to shake off a culture of
losing at Carolina.
“Without elaborating, I just
think it’s important that we do
that,” head coach Lou Holtz said
Saturday. “It has to do with the
way you act, the way you com
onship here at South Carolina. I
made a commitment after last
season to do everything I possi
bly could to help change that cul
ture.”
Carolina’s only championship
win was 35 years ago, when the
Gamecocks were the top team in
the ACC. Since that time, USC
has had 17 losing seasons and
hasn’t won an SEC title in 11
years in the conference. Also,
Carolina has an overalWosing
record of 494-502-44 for'the histo
“For so long, many
people stereotyped the
Gamecocks being a
program that was going
to lose, no matter what.
We’re determined to
change that stereotype.
It involves a lot of little
things, but when you put
them all together it can
make a difference.”
JONATHAN ALSTON
use OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
ry of the program.
“For so long, many people
stereotyped the Gamecocks as be
ing a program that was going to
lose, no matter what,” offensive
lineman Jonathan Alston said.
“We’re determined to change
that stereotype. It involves a lot
of little (things, but when you put
them all together, it can make a
difference.”
One of those little things is fos
tering a close-knit feeling among
the players and the coaches,
which Holtz is attempting to do
through the creation of a unity
council.
The council, made up of player
representatives from different
parts of the team, will meet reg
ularly to discuss issues. Holtz
will also meet with the players on
Mondays to discuss various is
sues, not necessarily limited to
the football field. The steps are
all part of an effort by Holtz to
have a closer relationship with
his players.
“In the past, I’d meet with the
media after practice and the
players would have already left
the locker room,” Holtz said. “I
felt that going by the locker room
after practice and visiting with
the players was the right thing
to do. I’ve made it a point to do
♦ F00TBAI1, SEE PAGE 10
■» J'27SfW* <? - ®J .
. PHOTO BY JOHNNY HAYNES/THE GAMECOCK
The football team hut'dles up before a game last season. L'SC Is looking to get back to a winning
record this year throi gh a more unified feeling among players and coaches.