May 8, 2004
Auburn, Ala. – Steve Pearce and Brendan Winn each homered and Matt Campbell went six innings to pick up his seventh win of the season as sixth ranked South Carolina upended 20th ranked Auburn 3-1 in the second game of a SEC baseball series. The rubber game of the series is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon and will be televised on CSS-TV.
Campbell allowed one run on eight hits with three strikeouts and three walks on the night as the junior left-hander improved to 7-3 on the year. South Carolina junior reliever Chad Blackwell worked the final three innings and allowed no runs on two hits with four strikeouts to pick up his 11th save of the season. Auburn starting pitcher Arnold Hughey took the loss for the Tigers and is now 6-3 on the year. Hughey went six and 2/3 innings allowing three runs, one earned on four hits with six strikeouts and one walk.
South Carolina opened up a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning on a solo home run from Pearce. On the 1-2 count from Hughey, Pearce drilled his 13th HR of the year over the Green Monster left field wall to put the Gamecocks on top by a run. For Pearce it was his first home run since March 28 at Arkansas.
Carolina extended its lead to three runs in the sixth inning with the second homer of the game, a two-run shot by Brendan Winn. After Landon Powell reached on a two-out error by Auburn shortstop Chuck Jeroloman, Winn launched his team-leading 14th HR of the year over the center field wall for a 3-0 South Carolina lead.
Auburn pushed across a run in the bottom of the sixth to cut the USC lead to 3-1 with a two-out RBI single from Mike Hyntka to score Sean Gamble. The Tigers looked to mount a rally in the seventh inning with runners on second and third with one out. Blackwell was able to get Josh Bell to foul out to first baseman Steve Pearce and Gamble lined out to Steven Tolleson, who made a diving grab at shortstop to preserve the two-run Carolina lead.
South Carolina won Saturday’s game despite being out-hit 10-5 by the Tigers. Powell, Winn, Bryan Triplett, Pearce and Ryan Mahoney accounted for the five USC hits on the night. Clete Thomas and Hyntka each batted 3-for-4 to pace the Tiger attack.
