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'f&jgfea. Game schedule THERSAMECOCK Baseball vs. Ole Miss, 7 p.m. /” —I "V t m / ^ Women's SEC Golf Championships, all day, w 1 Ilf | r ' I 1 W l Nashville, Tenn. Page 10 —I— — L- —I— Friday, April 14,2006 USC hosts Ole Miss Carly Reed THE GAMECOCK The Gamecocks will face the Ole Miss Rebels in a three-game * series starting Friday. USC is trying to end a three I game losing streak. I “We’re hitting a few bumps in the road,” head coach Ray Tanner ■ said. “But we’re working our way jp out.” Ole Miss, 6-6 in the Southeastern matchup for USC in recent years. Rebels’ pitcher Will Kline shutout the No. 9 Mississippi State Bulldogs early this season. With a similar performance, Kline would pose a major threat to the Gamecocks’ lineup this weekend. However, pitching isn’t the only thing Tanner is concerned about. “They have some quality batters in that lineup,'*’ he said. “It puts them in the running.” The Gamecocks have suffered from some “untimely pitching and batting,” Tanner said. The defense, I however, has played a key role in the success the team has had this ■ “Because of our good defense, 1 it allows our pitchers to get out of H an inning quicker and throw less I pitches,” Tanner said. One of Ole Miss’ starting ||| pitchers, Garrett White, could be BP a challenge for the Gamecocks. Si White has a 1.69 ERA with 10 BASEBALL • II Juan Bias / THE GAMECOCK Police: Stripper ‘passed out’ Gerry Broome / Associated Press Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong is expected to'ask a grand jury to issue charges'against some Duke Players, defense attorneys wait to see whether charges will be filed in Duke lacrosse scandal Tim Whitmire THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DURHAM, N.C. — A woman who says she was raped by members of Duke University’s lacrosse team was described as “just passed-out drunk” by one of the first police officers to see her, according to a recording of radio traffic obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. The conversation between the officer and a police dispatcher took place at about 1:30 a.m. March 14, about five minutes after a grocery-store security guard called 911 to report a woman in the parking lot who would not get out of someone else’s car. The officer gave the dispatcher the police code for an intoxicated person and. said the woman was unconscious. When asked whether she needed medical help, the officer s&id: “She’s breathing 1 i n m i not in distress. She’s just passed-out drunk.” The woman, a 27-year old black college student who works as a stripper, told police she was raped and beaten by three white men around midnight at an off-campus party thrown by Duke’s lacrosse team. The racially charged allegations have led Duke to cancel the highly ranked team’s season and accept the resignation of its coach. No charges have been /"* 1 1 1 T'V • • A . . lllCU, UUL 1^131111* L Mike Nifong has said he believes a crime was committed. Attorneys for the players have said DNA tests failed to connect any players to the alleged attack, and they have urged Nifong to drop his investigation. The radio recordings, obtained by the AP through a records request, are the first instance in which police or anyone connected MIKR m li Mary Ann Chastain / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Australian Rod Pampling blasts out of a bunker to the 15th green during the first round of the Heritage Golf tournament Thursday. He shot a 1-under par 70. > w < 1 t 1 1 layior takes lead with 1 st-round 63 at Harbour Town Golfer comes out firing following missed cut at Masters last week, poor play most of year Pete Lacobelti THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — With a nerve racking and disappointing Masters debut behind him, Vaughn Taylor relaxed and played his best round of the year. Taylor, who grew up in Augusta, Ga., shot an 8 under 63 to take the lead after the first round of the Verizon Heritage on Thursday. A week ago, Taylor couldn’t make a move around his hometown without someone he knew ready with a comment, question or request. He says he was edgy and lost focus. “My phone was ringing off the hook,” Taylor said. “You are asked to do a lot of things. In preparing for a tournament, it’s tough to be able to do it all. You want to talk to everybody, and you feel bad because you just can’t do it.” The attention proved too much for Taylor to handle. He shot a 75-74 at Augusta National and missed the cut. Instead of letting the disappointment drag down his slumping season — Taylor had only broken 70 once in his previous 12 rounds coming in — the 30-year-old pro pushed on to Harbour Town Golf Links and found the play he’d hoped to have at the Masters. “I came in this week, and it just feels easy,” Taylor said. Taylor stood a stroke ahead of Jim Furyk’s 64 and two in front of Tom Pernice Jr., Billy Mayfair and Duffv Waldorf, who were tied at 65. Ernie Els was the only one of golf’s “Big Five” — Masters champion Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Retief Goosen are the others — competing at Harbour Town after last week’s chase for the green jacket. Els’ uneven round of 71 included three straight bogeys on the 17 th, 18th and first holes, and an eagle three on the second hole. Taylor is a two-time PGA Tour winner who qualified for last week’s major by finishing No. 36 on the 2005 money list. T T 1__1„J_ missing cuts at the Nissan Open, the Honda Classic and Bay Hill Invitational before his Masters’ flameout. At Harbour Town, Taylor seems to have rediscovered his game. He began his run ' with birdies on Harbour Town’s four closing holes, including a 20-footer from off the back fringe on the famous lighthouse hole, No. 18. Taylor’s strong play continued on his final nine. Moments after Furyk moved to 7-under with a birdie on the ninth hole, Taylor jammed a 9-iron to about 7 feet to set up the go-ahead birdie. Taylor was two off the course record of 61, set by David Frost in 1994. Taylor, Furyk and many others took advantage of perfect, windless conditions for the low morning scores. None of the afternoon starters got closer to the lead than Aaron Baddeley’s 66. Such starts aren’t rare at Harbour Town — but they usually don’t last. Defending champion Peter Lonard opened with a 62 here a year ago, but held on despite a final round 75 for his first PGA Tour win. Another reason for the scoring? At 6,973 yards, A Harbour Town is a full Augusta par-4 shorter than the Masters’ beefed up layout of 7,445 yards. “It’s not that long,” said Mayfair, who lost a playoff here to Jose Coceres in 2001. “You have to drive it straight; hit a lot of greens. If you miss it (and) you manage to putt well, that seems right up my alley.” The mild weather had the pros thinking low. Be too aggressive here, however, and problems await. “If you force it and ^ try and make those things happen,” said Furyk, who tied for second behind Lonard last year. “I think that’s when the course jumps up and bites you.” Nothing might ever bite Taylor the way his Augusta experience did. He says if he qualifies again he’ll handle things better. “I was really looking forward to the Masters,” he said. “But I’m glad it was finally over. This week, I feel very relaxe'd _i_' » —