The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 26, 2004, Page 13, Image 13
| THE GAMECOCK ♦ Monday, April 26,2004 • 13
I I ^ rfl C 'l SOFTBALL vs. Coastal Carolina, 5 p.m. Wednesday
I B ■ B I B f I 1 1 BASEBALL vs.'Wofford, 7 p.m. Wednesday
COfltaCt. US B B B B—B WOMEN’S GOLF at NCAA Regional Championships, May 6
Story ideas? Questions? Comments? I fill iLl EQUESTRIAN at Nationals in Murfreesboro, Tenn., May 7
E-mailusatgamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu B V_|JX B B
Baseball bests Bama
with staunch pitching
BY JOEL WALLACE
THEGAMECOCK
In a series that could only be described as
odd, the USC baseball team took two of three
games from Alabama this weekend.
USC 6, Alabama 3
The Gamecocks scored all six of their runs,
unearned, offjust two hits in the second inning
of Friday night’s game.
Michael Campbell led off the inning with
one of his four hits on the night. After an er
ror, Hank Parks hit a sacrifice fly to score one
run. Alabama pitcher Wade LeBlanc walked
the next batter, followed by another sacrifice
fly for the second run of the inning. One more
walk loaded the bases for Landon Powell.
After fighting his way to a full count, Powell
lifted a LeBlanc pitch to left for his 12th home
run of the season, putting the Gamecocks up
6-0.
Aaron Rawl pitched for Billy Buckner, who
was diagnosed with mononucleosis earlier that
day and is out indefinitely.
Rawl gave up a solo home run to Gabe Scott.
Rawl held the Alabama offense in check until
the seventh inning, when he gave up a two
run double, leaving the score 6-3. Rawl was
pulled later in the inning in favor of Chad
Blackwell after hitting his third batter of the
game.
Alabama 7, USC 3
After riding a Landon Powell grand slam to
victory Friday night, the Gamecocks fell vic
tim to a grand slam from Mark Haske.
Chad Blackwell, who had recorded the fi
nal eight outs for the Gamecocks in the previ
ous game, was on his way to another save -
when Allen Rice singled to lead off and moved
to second on a groundout by Michael
McCallister. The first run of the inning came
when Rice scored on a single by Zac Welch,
leaving the score 4-2 in favor of USC. The Tide
brought in Ryan Beagle to'pinch hit and he
walked. Blackwell allowed an infield hit by
pinch hitter Matt Grooms, which loaded the
bases. Haske stepped up to the plate and
promptly emptied the bases with his first ca
reer home run. Blackwell then gave up an
other round-tripper to leave the score 7-3.
USC freshman Arik Hempy had pitched a
gem prior to the ninth inning meltdown, al
lowing just one run on seven hits and two walks
in six and one-third innings.
USC 1, Alabama 0
After Saturday’s heartbreaking loss, Matt
Campbell refused to let the Gamecocks endure
another letdown.
Campbell took the Gamecocks on his back
and carried them to victory, pitching the full
10 innings while giving up only three hits and
two walks against 10 strikeouts. The USC of
fense, despite reaching double-figures in hits
with 12, was unable to break through against
the Alabama pitching until Steven Tolleson’s
walk-off RBI single drove in Michael
Campbell.
The Gamecocks face Wofford at Sarge Frye
Field Wednesday at 7 p.m. They travel to
Auburn this weekend to face the Tigers in a
three-game set.
Comments on this story?E-mail
gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu
PHOTO BY JOHNNY HAYNES/THE GAMECOCK
Second baseman Kevin Melillo tosses the ball to first baseman Steve
Pearce. The Alabama series was the first SEC series start for Melillo.
Robinson picked 10th in draft,
2 other Gamecocks selected
BY JONATHAN HILL YARD
THE GAMECOCK
After a somewhat disappoint
ing football season, a few of
Carolina’s finest made their alma
mater proud by being selected in
the 2004 NFL Draft. Cornerback
Dunta Robinson, offensive line
man Travelle Wharton and cor
nerback Deandre Eiland were
among the rookies selected during
the weekend and will now look to
carry their talents to the next level.
1 Drafted by the Houston Texans
with the tenth overall pick in the
draft was Robinson, the 6-foot,
186-pound cornerback from
Athens, Ga. Robinson was invit
ed to attend the draft in New York
City, but chose rather to spend
the day with his family. Robinson
had been predicted to be picked
anywhere from the tenth pick to
late in the first round.
“I’m just happy to be a part of
this, in the middle of rebuilding,”
Robinson said when introduced
in Houston. “Hopefully, I can
come out and make the best of it.”
The Gamecocks’ team captain
was the second cornerback tak
en in the draft, behind Virginia
Tech’s Deangelo Hall, who went
to the Atlanta Falcons with the
eighth overall pick.
“We’re very excited about hav
ing Dunta as a member of the
Houston Texans,” Texans head
coach Dom Capers said to the
Houston media. “He’s got rare
speed. The combination of his
speed, his quickness and his
change of direction, and what
stood out in our minds when we
watched him play during his col
lege career was, for a 186-pounder
he had very good explosiveness
in terms of hitting.”
Robinson is the seventh first
round pick to come out of USC and
the highest Gamecock drafted
since the Green Bay Packers se
lected Sterling Sharpe with the sev
enth pick in 1988. Other first round
picks in USC history include Rick
Sanford to New England in 1979;
George Rogers to the New Orleans
Saints with the first overall pick in
1981; Willie Scott to the Kansas
City Chiefs in 1981; Ernest Dye to
the Arizona Cardinals in 1993 and
John Abraham to the New York
Jets in 2000.
Selected by the Carolina
Panthers with the 94th pick in the
draft was Carolina offensive line
man Travelle Wharton. The 6-foot,
3-inch, 312-pound offensive tack
le was the fifth offensive tackle se
lected in the draft and one of four
players from his position in the
SEC to be drafted. Prior to draft
ing Wharton in the third round,
the Panthers selected comerback
Chris Gamble from Ohio State in
the first round and wide receiver
Keary Colbert from Southern
California in the second round.
Wharton attended Hillcrest
High School in Simpsonville and
was a four-year starter for the
Gamecocks. He was the team’s cap
tain on the field and was praised
by experts as a fundamentally
sound, intelligent lineman.
Drafted by the Minnesota
Vikings with the 184th pick in the
draft was Eiland. The 5-foot, 10
inch, 202-pound free safety/cor
nerback was the final Gamecock
taken in the draft. Eiland will
join Auburn’s Dontarrious
Thomas as one of two SEC play
♦ DRAFT, SEE PAGE 14
PHOTO BY JOHNNY HAYNES/THE GAMECOCK
Dunta Robinson was the 10th overall selection in the NFL Draft.
The former Gamecock defensive back will play for Houston.
Ole Miss swamps USC softball in weekend series
BY WES WOLFE
THE GAMECOCK
The No. 25 USC softball team
closed out its SEC season over the
weekend, losing two out of three
games to Ole Miss (15-35, 8-19
SEC). The losses put Carolina at
12-18 in the SEC and 25-20 overall.
The Gamecocks finished their
SEC schedule in the way the me
dia predicted — fourth place in
the SEC East.
Ole Miss 3, USC 1
Carolina lost the first game of
Saturday’s doubleheader 3-1 with
Ole Miss’ Mary Jane Callahan
getting the win and Carolina’s
Stacey Johnson taking the loss.
Johnson pitched a complete
game, allowing one earned run,
six hits and two walks while strik
ing out five.
The Gamecocks managed to
get eight hits on the game, but
were unable to score more than
one run.
Ole Miss got on the board in
the second inning when a throw
ing error by Johnson allowed the
Rebels’ Rebecca Mclntire and
Andrea Brahs to cross home
plate. The other run of the game
for Ole Miss came in the third in
ning when DeDe Justice hit a
leadoff home run to centerfield.
The Gamecocks weren’t able to
score until the sixth inning when
Samantha Jennings drove in a
run on a single.
use 2, Ole Miss 1
Carolina bounced back from
the loss with a win in the bottom
of the doubleheader, giving pitch
er Melanie Henkes a chance to get
back to the .500 mark, putting her
at 7-7 on the season. Rebel pitcher
Dana Brill pitched a complete
game in the loss, putting her at 4
17 on the season.
The game was a nil-nil tie go
ing into the fifth inning, when the
Gamecocks were able to put
across their two runs. Both play
ers that scored, Chrissy
Schoonmaker and Margaret
Person, reached their respective
bases on mistakes. Schoonmaker
was walked at the beginning of
the inning, and Justice fouled up
a throw that allowed Person to get
on base. Following that play, the
two players both stole bases, with
Schoonmaker taking third base
and Person stealing second base.
The two players scored on the
next play, a sacrifice fly by Nancy
Crane.
Ole Miss got its only run of
the game in the sixth inning,
when a wild pitch overturned a
strikeout and allowed the
Rebels’ Britte Hardy to go to first
base. Hardy went to second base
on a sacrifice play before head
ing home on a single by Mandy
Ott to right field. 01,e Miss
couldn’t continue the comeback,
though, as Brahs grounded out
to end the inning.
Ole Miss 2, USC 1
The Rebels started the first
frame of Sunday’s contest with
two runs, and that was all they
would need for the rest of the
game, with Callahan and Brill
combining to only allow one run,
six hits and two walks while strik
ing out three in the rubber match
of the series.
The Gamecocks put across
their single run of the game in the
third inning, when Amber Curtis
singled to right field to score
McKenna Hughes.
Johnson took the loss for USC,
dropping to 15-10 on the season. In
the complete game effort, she gave
up two hits and two earned runs
while striking out six batters.
Carolina will close out its reg
ular season schedule with a dou
bleheader Wednesday at home
against Coastal Carolina. Game
one will start at 5 p.m. with the
second game following at 7 p.m.
at Beckham Field.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu
t PHOTO BY,JOHNNY HAYNES/THE GAMECOCK
Shortstop Amber Curtis hurls the ball across the diamond
during the weekend series against the Ole Miss Rebels.
Tillman
made the
ultimate
sacrifice
Brave, loyal, unselfish and de
termined.
These are a few of the words I
would have used to describe the
play of former Arizona Cardinal
Pat Tillman. Like many, I was
stunned when I heard that Tillman .
had died in Iraq while serving as
a member of the Army Rangers. At
that moment, I started to realize
that Tillman
was all of the
things I men
tioned above—I
just misunder
stood why.
i tnougnt 1
knew Tillman
was brave be
BEN SINCLAIR cause I watched
Graduate him unselfishly
Sgeof give 100 percent
Education for a Cardinal
. team that was
routinely defeated. Even when his
team was down four scores or
more, no one could question the
heart of Tillman. He was the sym
bol of bravery because every week,
this undersized giant would tackle
receivers and backs much taller
and heavier than him. These signs
of bravery seem silly when one con
siders that Tillman fought day in
and day out for the last two years,
risking his life for the nation he
loved. Tillman lost this fight when
he was killed in gunfire Thursday
in southeastern Afghanistan.
I thought I knew about the
depth of Tillman’s loyalty in 2001,
when he was offered a $9 million
contract from the St. Louis Rams.
Tillman turned it down and took
less money to stay with the
Arizona Cardinals—the team that
showed faith in Tillman by draft
ing him when no otherteam did.
In a time and age in sports where
players rarely show team loyalty
because of free agency, guys like
Tillmai] are few and far between.
In 2002, at the height of his ca
reer, Tillman turned down mil
lions of dollars and a lifetime of se
curity in the NFL to make about
$20,000 and defend the United
States as an Army Ranger.
Tillman was moved by the terror
ist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and
wanted to contribute to the U.S.
military. Tillman’s loyalty to his
country was even stronger than
his loyalty to the Cardinals. If
there is a better example of loyalty
to one’s country, I have never
heard of it.
I thought I understood Tillman
was unselfish because of his team
player mentality, loyalty and atti
tude. At last, I was sure I knew the
depths of Tillman’s unselfishness
when he gave up his NFL career
to serve for his country. While this
was a tremendous sacrifice, it was
nothing compared to the ultimate
sacrifice for freedom Tillman paid
Thursday. For that sacrifice, I am
forever grateful.
Perhaps the only failure of
Tillman during his military ser
vice was his determination.
Tillman was determined to be
“just another military service
man.” Tillman declined all inter
views because he did not want his
military service to be viewed as a
publicity stunt or distract his unit.
Tillman would not give interviews
when millions of other “team
members” made the same sacri
fices and faced the same dangers
in the military day in and day out.
Tillman was a player that led
by example. He did not make head
lines for talking trash at press con
ferences or choreographing end
zone dances. He just went out and
played football as good as anyone
else. It is rather fitting that
Tillman will be remembered for
his military service the same way.
At the 2003 ESPY awards, Tillman
and his brother were awarded the
Arthur Ashe Courage Award for
giving up their promising sports
careers to protect and serve in the
U.S. military.
Only in tragedy can I com
pletely comprehend just how loy
al, dedicated and brave Tillman
actually was. His death is a sad
reminder of what some of
America’s best are sacrificing day
in and day out for their country.
Whether you support the war ef
fort or not, please keep America’s
♦ SINCLAIR, SEE PAGE 14