Feb. 23, 2008
Columbia, S.C. – Second ranked South Carolina scored 20 runs in the first five innings on its way to a 22-5 win over 24th ranked East Carolina in the season opener for the Gamecocks and the first game of a double header. Reese Havens tied a career-high with five hits and five RBI and Phil Disher added a pair of home runs and a career-high five RBI as well as the Gamecocks finished with 18 hits on the afternoon. The 22-run total was the third largest in school history on opening day and the most on opening day since April 3, 1901 when the Gamecocks defeated Kings Mt. MA, 26-0. Game two of the doubleheader is scheduled for 7 pm later this evening at Sarge Frye Field.
Eight of nine Gamecock position starters had at least one hit with Havens total of five leading the way. Disher and Justin Smoak each tallied three with Kyle Enders and James Darnell with two apiece. Carolina hit five home runs with Havens, Smoak and Enders tallying round trippers to go along with the two from Disher. East Carolina had 11 hits in the game with Harrison Eldridge and Corey Kemp leading the way with two apiece. The 22 runs for Carolina also tied the eighth highest mark by a Carolina team under head coach Ray Tanner.
Carolina starting pitcher Mike Cisco worked five innings to pick up the victory and is 1-0 on the year. The junior right-hander allowed one run on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk to pick up the win. East Carolina starting pitcher TJ Hose suffered the loss. He lasted only 1.1 inning and allowed 11 runs, nine earned on nine hits with one strikeouts.
South Carolina broke out of the gates to help Cisco out early with four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Reese Havens led off the game with a single and was sacrificed by Whit Merrifield to set the stage for James Darnell, who knocked a RBI double to right center to score the Gamecocks’ first run of the year. After Justin Smoak was hit by a pitch, the Gamecocks increased the lead to 3-0 on a single from Phil Disher. On the play, East Carolina left fielder Stephen Batts let the ball go through his legs allowing Smoak to score all the way from first base. Disher would score Carolina’s fourth run on Harley Lail’s RBI sacrifice fly.
South Carolina knocked Hose from the game in the second inning with an eight-run frame and batted around in the process. Scott Wingo was hit by a pitch, Havens singled and Merrifield reach base on second baseman Ryan Wood’s error to give South Carolina bases loaded with no outs. James Darnell would knock in a run with a RBI single and Justin Smoak would add two RBI on a double. A three-run homer from Disher and a solo shot from Enders would give the Gamecocks a 12-0 lead. Enders’ home run was his first of his career in a Gamecock uniform.
The Gamecocks continued to have success against East Carolina reliever Brad Mincey in the third inning with four more runs giving the Gamecocks a 16-run edge. The team loaded the bases with two outs with DeAngelo Mack plating a run on a hit by pitch, Wingo walking to score a second run and a two-run single from Havens.
South Carolina would score six more times in the game with two runs in the fourth, two runs in the fifth and two runs in the eighth inning. The 22 runs for Carolina were the most by a Gamecock team since February 14, 2004 when Carolina defeated Charleston Southern, 38-0 at Sarge Frye Field.
