April 3, 2005
Columbia, S.C. – Three pitchers limited Georgia to five hits Sunday, Steve Pearce homered, and Steven Tolleson and Ian Paxton drove in two runs apiece as South Carolina defeated the Bulldogs 6-1 to sweep a three game Southeastern Conference baseball series.
Sophomore right-hander Jeff Jeffords, 1-0, pitched the first 5 2/3 innings to record his first career win. Sean Ruthven, 1-2, took the loss for Georgia. Jeffords allowed three hits, one run, walked two and struck out six. Andrew Cruse worked the final three innings to earn his first save. He allowed two hits and struck out four. Brandon White struck out the only Georgia batter that he faced.
South Carolina scored single runs in the first two innings and two in the third to lead 4-0 before Bobby Felmy hit his third home run of the season in the fourth inning for Georgia’s only run.
In the first inning Chris Brown walked, was sacrificed to second, and scored on a base hit by Tolleson. Pearce hit his seventh home run in the second inning. In the third Brown singled to stretch his current hitting streak to 12 games. He stole second and scored on Tolleson’s second hit of the game. Tolleson move to second on a throw, stole third and scored when Jon Willard grounded to shortstop.
The Gamecocks added two insurance runs in the eighth inning. Pearce and Mark Stanley walked and Davy Gregg beat out an infield hit to load the bases. Pearce and Stanley scored on a bloop double by Paxton.
South Carolina won the Friday game 7-5 and the Saturday game 17-2. The sweep improved the Gamecock overall record to 24-5 and the SEC mark to 5-4. Georgia dropped 15-12, 2-6.
South Carolina meets The Citadel in a non-conference game Wednesday night at Sarge Frye Field before traveling to Baton Rouge for a weekend conference series at Louisiana State.
South Carolina collected 11 hits Sunday, two each by Tolleson, Gregg and Stanley, who had seven hits in three games the past week while filling in in right field for Brendan Winn who was out with a lower back strain.
Felmy had three of Georgia’s five hits, including a first inning double and the fourth inning home run. Justin Niefer and Josh Smith had one hit for Georgia.
South Carolina players with one hit included Brown, Michael Campbell, Willard, Pearce, and Paxton. Campbell doubled in the fifth inning to extend his hitting streak to 11 games..
