Feb. 21, 2009
Watch the Game 
| Sights & Sounds
Sam Dyson 
| Whit Merrifield | DeAngelo Mack | Coach Ray Tanner
Columbia, S.C. – Three South Carolina pitchers combined for a one-hitter as the Gamecocks opened Carolina Stadium with a 13-0 victory over Duquesne in front of 8,153 fans on Opening Day of the 2009 season. DeAngelo Mack and Justin Dalles added homers as Carolina christened its new facility with a big win in front of the Garnet & Black faithful. The attendance was the largest crowd to witness a home baseball game in South Carolina program history. Both teams will continue the series on Sunday afternoon with first pitch set for 2 pm. Live video broadcast is available at GamecocksOnline.com.
Carolina starting pitcher Sam Dyson was effective in five innings of work allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out six batters to earn the win. He is now 1-0 on the year and 9-0 in his career for the Gamecocks. Carolina freshman left-hander Adam Westmoreland followed with three hitless innings striking out four and walking one. Junior right-hander Jordan Propst closed the game out with one perfect inning in which he struck out two batters. Carolina last allowed just one hit in a game on February 17, 2006 in a 7-0 win over Radford.
Duquesne starter Gary Pierpont went three innings and allowed four runs, three earned on three hits with six walks and three strikeouts to take the loss.
Carolina’s offense looked strong in the first game of the season as they tallied 11 hits while drawing 12 walks as well. Freshman Jackie Bradley, Jr. and sophomore Whit Merrifield each tallied two hits to lead the offense.
South Carolina batted around to take a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Merrifield drew a one-out walk, stole second base and scored on a two-out RBI single courtesy of Parker Bangs. After a second walk to Mack, the Gamecocks scored their second run on Andrew Crisp’s RBI single to left field. Consecutive walks to Dalles and Scott Wingo increased the lead to three runs.
The lead extended to 4-0 in the second as Bradley, Jr. reached base on an error and scored on a sacrifice fly from Bangs. Mack’s three-run homer in the fourth inning and a leadoff homer by Dalles in the fifth put South Carolina ahead 8-0. Mack’s blast went off the batter’s eye in center field with Dalles launching one to left center. Carolina would reach double-digits in the fifth inning as they loaded the bases with Jones driving in a run on a walk followed by another sacrifice fly from Bangs.
Up 10-0, the Gamecocks scored the final three runs of the game in the eighth inning with both junior Casey Rihn and freshman Michael Roth recording RBI base hits. Bangs and Mack each had three RBI to lead the Gamecocks at the plate. The three RBI for Bangs was a new career-high.
Saturday’s game included many pre-game festivities including the ceremonial first pitches by former Gamecock coaches Bobby Richardson and June Raines and South Carolina president Dr. Harris Pastides. The national anthem was sung by recording artist Darius Rucker.
