April 21, 2007
Oxford, Miss. – Lance Lynn hurled a three-hit complete game shutout as 19th ranked Ole Miss upended fourth ranked South Carolina 6-0 in game two of a three-game SEC baseball series. Ole Miss wins the series and improves to 27-14 and 10-7 in the conference while Carolina falls to 30-10 and 9-8 in league play. The series finale is scheduled for 2:30 pm ET and will be televised on Sport South and can also be heard on the Gamecock Radio Network.
It was a pitcher’s duel for a while as both Lynn and Carolina starting pitcher Arik Hempy went back and forth to limit the offense on both sides. Lynn finished the game striking out 12 batters while walking just two to improve to 4-3 on the year. Hempy was solid in his second SEC start of the year despite the loss. He is 3-1 this season. He went seven innings and allowed two runs on five hits with six strikeouts and no walks allowed.
The Rebels took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Zach Miller got things started with a single to center field that was followed by an opposite field base hit from designated hitter Kyle Mills. C.J. Ketchum tallied the third consecutive base hit for Ole Miss on a RBI single that went over the head of first baseman Justin Smoak, who was playing in for the Gamecocks to score Miller. Pinch runner Fuller Smith would score the second Ole Miss run on a RBI sacrifice fly courtesy of Jordan Henry.
Ole Miss added to that lead in the eighth inning with four unearned runs against Gamecock reliever Curtis Johnson. Brett Basham reached on a throwing error by third baseman James Darnell to start off the frame. That play was followed up by a base hit bunt from Jordan Henry. On the play, Johnson fielded and threw high of first base to allow Basham to score all the way from first base. Justin Henry followed with a single to left field to score Jordan Henry and give the Rebels a four-run edge. After strikeouts to Zack Cozart and Cody Overbeck, the Rebels got a fifth run on Logan Power’s two-out RBI single. Power would take second base on the play on a fielding error by left fielder Cheyne Hurst. He would then score the sixth run of the game on Evan Button’s RBI base hit up the middle.
Ole Miss had nine hits to Carolina’s three on the afternoon. Power was 2-for-4 to lead the Rebels at the plate. Justin Smoak, Cheyne Hurst and Reese Havens accounted for the three Gamecock hits. Smoak’s base hit in the ninth inning extended his hitting streak to 21 games. Darnell’s hitting streak ended at 13 games on Saturday. The three-hit total for Carolina is the lowest of the season in a game for the Gamecocks.
Saturday’s loss marked the first time Carolina had been shut out by an opponent since June 6, 2005 when Georgia Tech defeated the Gamecocks 6-0 in the NCAA Regional Final in Atlanta, Ga. It was the first complete game shutout by an opponent since Jason Windsor of Cal State Fullerton kept the Gamecocks off the scoreboard on June 19, 2004 in a 2-0 Titans win over the Gamecocks in Omaha, Neb.
