Feb. 10, 2002
COLUMBIA, SC –
Garris Gonce broke a tie with en eighth inning RBI single Sunday and Blake Taylor pitched five hitless innings of relief as South Carolina edged Charleston Southern 3-2 to sweep a three game college baseball series.
The win improved eighth ranked South Carolina to 3-0 while Charleston Southern dropped to 0-5. Taylor retired 14 consecutive batters before walking Mario Suarez with two outs in the ninth inning. Chris Kellett hit a ground ball to second base to end the game. Ray Tanner, in his sixth season, notched his 220th win at South Carolina, tying him with Bobby Richardson, 1970-76, for second place on the all-time Gamecock victory list.
With the score tied 2-2, South Carolina’s Drew Meyer singled and stole second base with one out in the eighth inning. Yaron Peters flied to right field for the second out as Nino Fasulo relieved Charleston starter Robert Swindell. Gonce then delivered a line drive hit to left field to score Meyer with what proved to be the winning run.
Taylor, 1-0, earned the win and Swindell, 0-1, was charged with the loss. Taylor struck out six. Chris Spigner pitched the first four innings for South Carolina and left with the score tied 2-2. He allowed five hits, struck out seven and walked one.
South Carolina took a 1-0 first inning lead with an unearned run. Jon Coutlangus beat out a bunt, moved to second on a passed ball, to third on a ground out, and scored on an infield ground out by Justin Harris.
Suarez tied it at 1-1 with his first home run of the season in the top of the second inning.
The Gamecocks went back on top in the bottom of the second on a double by Steve Thomas and an RBI single by Brian Buscher. Charleston Southern tied it in the fourth. David Martindale singled, took second on a hit by Kellett, and scored on a double by Brian Richardson.
Charleston Southern’s five hits were by five different players. Coutlangus and Meyer had two hits apiece in South Carolina’s eight hit attack.
The next action for South Carolina will be a three game series at Sarge Frye Field beginning Friday against East Tennessee State.
CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 010 100 000 – 2-5-0
SOUTH CAROLINA 110 000 01x – 3-8-0
Swindle, Fasulo (8) and Kellett. Spigner, Taylor (5) and Powell. W-Taylor (1-0). L-Swindle (0-1). Save-None. 2B-CSU, Richardson, USC, Thomas. HR-CSU, Suarez (1).
