The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 14, 2006, Page 10, Image 10
'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_' » —