April 24, 2005
Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Zac McCamie took a no hitter into the sixth inning Sunday as South Carolina collected 13 hits to defeat Alabama 5-2 and salvage the final game of a Southeastern Conference baseball series.
McCamie pitched into the eighth inning before giving way to Brent Marsh who retired six batters in a row to earn his ninth save. McCamie improved his record to 8-2 and South Carolina raised its team mark to 30-11, 10-8 in the SEC. Alabama dropped to 29-13, 11-7. Jordan Davis, 3-2, the Alabama starter, was charged with the loss.
Steven Tolleson and Michael Campbell, the first two batters in the South Carolina order, had three hits apiece to lead the 13 hit attack as the Gamecocks shook off a team wide slump that had resulted in only eight hits in the first two games of the series, both won by Alabama.
Tolleson singled and scored in the first inning, hit his fourth home run in the third, and singled and scored in the fourth as South Carolina built a 4-0 lead. Campbell singled in the first, singled and scored in the third, and drove in Tolleson with his fifth triple of the season in the fourth.
McCamie held Alabama hitless until Alabama scored a sixth inning run on three hits by Allen Rice, Gabe Scott and Morrow Thomley, the last a bloop double that drove in Rice. Alabama scored its second run in the seventh inning. Cale Iorg singled and raced to third on a hit by Greg Paisl. Iorg scored on a sacrifice fly.
Scott opened the bottom of the eighth inning with an infield hit and when McCamie walked Evan Bush to put two runners on with no outs Marsh was summoned from the bullpen. He retired six in a row with two strikeouts.
South Carolina had four first inning singles but tallied only one run as the Alabama defense avoided further damage by turning a double play. Tolleson’s leadoff homer, singles by Campbell and Steve Pearce and an RBI ground out by Mahoney plated two runs in the third inning. Tolleson’s third hit and Campbell’s triple made it 4-0 in the fourth inning.
That was all the scoring by the Gamecocks until the eighth inning when Mark Stanley doubled and scored on a base hit by Joey Friddle.
Jon Willard also had two hits for South Carolina. Scott was the only Alabama batter with two hits.
South Carolina does not have a mid-week non-conference game scheduled this week and the next Gamecock action will be three SEC games at Sarge Frye Field with the Auburn Tigers.
