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__ Jl I ) HCj GAME SCHEDULE pap-e10 I II t I MEN’S TENNIS at Ole Miss, 2 p.m. £P\ \ .1Q -,nnc | IF | I L V BASEBALL at LSU, 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 8,2005 V^/ _ SOFTBALL vs. Florida, 1 p.m. Friday KATIE KIRKLAND/THE GAMECOCK Sophomore third baseman Jon Willard prepares to fire a throw to first base in USC’s 17-2 win at home against Georgia on Saturday. USC to face another top-10 foe By MIQUELJACOBS STAFF WRITER Senior pitcher Jason Fletcher, after pitching 5.2 innings of shutout baseball against Georgia last weekend, has earned his second start of the season, as the No. 12 USC baseball team (25-5, 5-4) travels to Baton Rouge today to take on the No.8 LSU Tigers (23-8, 5-4). “Whether it’s closing, whether it’s long relief, whether it’s in the middle, I have that kind of confidence in him that he can make a difference in the game,” USC coach Ray Tanner said following the Georgia performance. “He’s a guy that’s sacrificed for the good of the team, trying to pitch in the roles I’ve asked him to. I’m rewarding him this week. I’m giving him the start at Alex Box Stadium on Friday night. That’s like pitching as a rookie at Yankee Stadium.” Fletcher carries a 3-1 record into the anticipated LSU series, a showdown between teams favored to win their respective conference divisions. The Tigers received 9 of-11 possible overall first-place votes, with the Gamecocks claiming the other two. Carolina and LSU split four games last season, with the Bayou Bengals taking two of the three game series in Columbia. LSU carried the No. 1 ranking in the nation and handed No. 3 Carolina its first loss of the season. The Gamecocks found their revenge by eliminating LSU, 15-4, from the College World Series for the second consecutive season. Seniors Zac McCamie (6-1) and Aaron Rawl (5-2) are slated to take the mound for games two and three. Playing in Carolina’s favor is the pitching staff, which has always been a strong point for Tanner’s teams. In the event that the starters need middle or long relief, sophomore Jeff Jeffords and freshmen Andrew Cruse and Wynn Pelzer can give the Gamecocks quality innings. Jeffords won over the coaches with a one-hit, five-inning outing against Brown and did not disappoint in his first career start the next week, a three-hit, 5.2 inning victory against conference rival Georgia to sweep the series. The Gamecocks boast a conference-low 2.69 team ERA. “I have a lot of confidence in our pitching staff” Tanner said. “When pitchers give you a chance to win, that’s all you can ask for.” As a compliment to coach Mark Calvi’s strong pitching staff designated hitter Jon Willard leads the Gamecocks at the plate. The sophomore from Morrisville, N.C., is second on the team in home runs (six) and RBIs (25) but leads the team in batting average at .431, the third-best conference mark. Juniors Michael Campbell and Chris Brown have also been hot at the plate recently. Brown had a 12-game hitting streak end against The Citadel Wednesday night, while Campbell ♦ Please see TIGERS, page 11 Golf peaks as Fig Four'' carry sport into season B Mickelson, Woods, Els, Singh lead sport into new ‘golden age’ Golf has been waiting for this for a very long time. It hasn’t really happened since Nicklaus, Palmer and Player. It hasn’t come close to happening since Nicklaus and Watson. The tension has been building all winter, and now it is finally here. As the Masters, 200 5’s first major, goes into full JONATHAN ”;;8’ HILLYARD witnessing SECOND-YEAR folden ELECTRONIC S°‘“en age. JOURNALISM With the STUDENT game’s “Big F o u r ” battling for the sport’s supremacy and a shot at the Masters’ coveted green jacket. Between superstars Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and icon Tiger Woods, golf may 1 have its most talented quartet ever. Each of the world s top-four players is capable of running away from any field assembled. Golfs Big Four have won five of the last eight Masters, Woods being the only repeat winner, with three tides in 1997,2001 and 2002; Singh winning in 200; and Mickelson defending his 2004 green jacket. Els is the only one not to have tried on the jacket but has six top-lOs in his 11 attempts at Augusta National, including a runner-up finish in last year’s thriller. Any one of the Big Four could leave the course Sunday at the peak of the golfing world, and it would be best for the game if they were all in contention come weekend play. Furthermore, the emergence of the Big Four has done something \ for golf that was unthinkable just ♦ Please see HILLYARD, page 11 ..—... .—... ..-.——. ..t ... II ' .. .... ... .■ —.I... _ Another wet and wacky start dampens first day ofMasters E PBy DOUG FERGUSON THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AUGUSTA, Ga. — First the rain, then the names atop the leaderboard that included defending champion Phil Mickelson and world No. 1 - Vijay Singh. But don’t get the idea this was a typical day at Augusta National. Tiger Woods hit an eagle putt that went off the green and into Rae’s Creek. Ernie Els spent more time in the trees than in the fairway. Former champion Billy Casper returned to the Masters for the first time in three years and made history with the highest score on a hole (14) and the highest round (106). Jack Nicklaus teed off to a heartfelt ovation in what might be his last Masters. .And when a wet and wacky start to the 69th Masters ended in darkness, Painter was on the leaderboard — not four-time winner Arnold Palmer, but Masters rookie Ryan Palmer. Of the 24 players who managed to squeeze in the first round, Mark Hensby of Australia was the clubhouse leader at 3-under 69, showing that Augusta National doesn’t have to be crusty and firm to be a brute. Chris DiMarco, who showed Mickelson the line on his winning putt last year, birdied three straight holes and was atop the leaderboard at 4 under par with four holes still to play. Luke Donald of England was another shot behind and four holes left in his first round, while the group at 2 under included Mickelson, Singh, Palmer, Retief Goosen and Stuart Appleby. Players were to return at 9:45 a.m. to complete the first round, and barring any more weather delays, the tournament should be back to normal by the weekend. This was the ninth time in 15 tournaments that weather interrupted play, and the fourth straight week of rain. Trying to hold down his No. 1 ranking, Singh was a model of consistency in a first round that was ♦ Please see MASTERS, page 11 PHOTOS COURTESY-OF THE ASSOCIATES PRESS Defending champ Phil Mfckelson, right, will try to outlast, top left to bottom Ernie Eis, Chris Dimarco, V'ijay Singh and Tiger Woods. Offense shows life in second scrimmage By TYLER GREGG and JONATHAN HILLYARD FOR THE GAMECOCK USC’s offense finally looked as chough it was beginning to grasp the complex offensive schemes of coach Steve Spurrier’s offense in the second scrimmage of the spring Wednesday. Unlike the first scrimmage Saturday, the offense played well against the defense in what the coaches claimed was a 28-25 victory for the offense. Redshirt sophomore Blake Mitchell came into Wednesday’s scrimmage No. 1 because of a good practice Tuesday and kept the success going, as he completed 8-of-15 passes for 104 yards. “1 felt pretty comfortable. I tried to relax and not get nervous or uptight,” Mitchell said after practice. “We did some good things today. We weren’t great, but there was a lot of improvement from the first scrimmage.” The other two quarterbacks, junior Brett Nichols and freshman Antonio Heffner, were not as successful. Nichols was l-for-6 for 10 yards, and Heffner was 4-for 14 for 42 yards. While completing only four passes, Heffner looked much more comfortable and seemed to be the best at getting rid of the football quickly. Spurrier noted that Mitchell and Heffner , are a solid No. 1 and No. 2 on the depth chart. Even with the recent troubles at quarterback, Spurrier had great things to say about the receiver^ ♦ Please see SCRIMMAGE, page 11 KATIE KIRKLAND/THE GAMECOCK * Redshirt sophomore quarterback Blake Mitchell drops back during Wednesday’s scrimmage, in which he threw for 104 yards. Softball to battle Gators in midseason showdown By STEPHANIE PENDRYS FOR THE GAMECOCK When the Florida Gators bring their bats to Columbia this weekend for an important three game SEC series with the Gamecocks, the two teams will have something in common: Both squads are nursing wounds inflicted by a pack of swift-footed, heavy-hitting Georgia Bulldogs. The No. 14 Florida softball team (29-10, 8-4) lost its second SEC series in a row this past weekend, falling 4-3 in the final game against No. 12 Georgia (33 8, 14-1) to give Georgia the 2-1 series win. USC was next in line for Georgia when they hit the road for a midweek series in Athens and suffered a three-game sweep by the Bulldogs, their third SEC series loss of the season. Georgia senior pitcher and USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award finalist Michelle Green notched another win for an 18-2 season record and earned SEC Pitcher of the Week honors. The losses bring the Gamecocks’ record to 24-17 and 7-8 in the SEC. The Bulldogs improved to 35-8 and 16-1. The Gamecocks and the Gators have battled the past three seasons with neither team dominating the win column. The Gators hang on to a slim 5-4 winning mark against USC since the 2001-02 season. USC swept the Gators at home in 2003, but Florida returned the favor with a three-game sweep of the Gamecocks in 2004. The Gamecocks are hoping history ♦ Please see SOFTBALL, page 11