April 7, 2010
| Coach Tanner |
| Nick Ebert |
| Whit Merrifield |
Columbia, S.C. – Nick Ebert was 2-for-3 with three RBI and homered for the second consecutive game and freshman right-hander Colby Holmes worked into the sixth inning to earn his second win of the year as South Carolina defeated College of Charleston 6-3 on Wednesday night at Carolina Stadium. The Gamecocks are 23-6 on the year while the loss drops College of Charleston to 23-8 for the season. Carolina returns to action on Friday night at Vanderbilt for the first of a three-game SEC series.
Holmes was effective in five-plus innings allowing two runs on four hits with four strikeouts and three walks. He is now 2-0 on the year. Sophomore left-hander Michael Roth hurled 1.2 perfect innings of relief to pick up his third save of the season. College of Charleston starter Jake Zokan suffered the loss and is now 2-1 on the year. He worked 2.2 innings and allowed four runs on five hits with three strikeouts.
Carolina broke ahead 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning. Both runs came with two outs. Parker Bangs singled and advanced to second base on a fielding error by left fielder Jose Rodriguez. He would score on Nick Ebert’s RBI double down the left field line that was followed up by a RBI single courtesy of Adam Matthews.
Ebert again delivered for the Gamecocks in the bottom of the third with a two-run homer to left center. Ebert had the green light as he drilled a 3-0 pitch from Zokan for his third homer of the season to extend the Gamecocks lead to 4-0. Carolina loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth with one out and scored a run as Whit Merrifield drove in Kyle Enders with a sacrifice fly to left field. South Carolina extended the lead to 6-0 in the fifth inning as Adrian Morales tallied a RBI base hit to score Bangs.
Cole Rakar got the College of Charleston on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth inning as he drilled a solo home run to left field, his third round tripper of the year. They would add one more run in the frame as Baker Knox drilled a RBI double to left center scoring Rob Kral. College of Charleston cut the Gamecock lead to three runs in the top of the eighth inning as Matt Leeds delivered with the Cougars second home run of the game.
That would be it though for the Cougars as Roth entered and shut down the Cougars with a pair of runners on base with a double play in the eighth inning and retired them in order in the ninth to preserve a Gamecock victory.
Carolina out-hit College of Charleston 9-7 in the game. Ebert and Bangs each had two hits. Whit Merrifield also extended his hitting streak to 16 games and has hit safely in 28 of 29 games on the year. Matt Leeds and Baker Knox were each 2-for-4 to lead College of Charleston.
