March 20, 2002
COLUMBIA, SC –
Fourth ranked South Carolina built an 11-0 lead while holding Wofford hitless through five innings Wednesday night but had to put down a fierce Terrier rally in a 15-6 non-conference baseball game.
Seven Gamecock pitchers combined to strike out 18 Wofford batters, tying the school record for the second time this season. South Carolina pitchers fanned 18 Seton Hall batters on March 10.
Freshman left-hander Matt Campbell, 1-1, was credited with the win. Coach Ray Tanner announced pre-game that he would use multiple pitchers, which waived the rule requiring the starter to go five innings to qualify for the win.
Campbell struck out five and allowed no hits in two innings. He walked four, three of them in the first inning. Freshman right-hander Aaron Rawl worked three hitless innings with three strikeouts, and was followed by five additional pitchers. Blake Timanus, 0-1, the first of five Wofford pitchers, was charged with the loss. South Carolina improved its record to 19-3 while Wofford dropped to 15-9.
The Gamecocks scored four runs in the first inning, two in the second, one in the third, two in the fourth and two in the fifth to lead 11-0 while holding the Terriers without a hit. Wofford loaded the bases with three hits in the sixth inning but failed to score.
In the seventh, however, the Terriers tallied four times on three hits including a three run home run by Matt Lein. Lien drove in two more runs in the eighth inning to cut the South Carolina lead to 11-6. The Gamecocks scored four times in the bottom of the inning to win 15-6.
Brian Buscher homered for South Carolina in the first inning, his fifth of the season. Trey Dyson hit his sixth in the fifth inning and Gary Bell his first in the eighth. The Gamecocks have 42 home runs in 22 games.
Seven different Gamecocks had two hits in a 17 hit attack with Drew Meyer and Garris Gonce contributing doubles and Jon Coutlangus a triple. Steve Thomas, Gonce, Bell and Buscher had two runs batted in. South Carolina’s defense played its fifth consecutive errorless game.
Strat Stavrou and Lein had three hits each as Wofford collected nine hits over the final four innings. Lein drove in five runs and Stavrou one for the Terriers. Stavrou had a double.
South Carolina, 2-1, in Southeastern Conference games, meets Eastern Division leader Florida, 3-0, in a three game series beginning Friday night at Sarge Frye Field.
WOFFORD 000 000 420 –6-9-2
SOUTH CAROLINA 421 220 04x — 15-17-0
Timanus, Hewitt (3), Omohundro (6), Halligan (6), Cress (8) and Holliday, Cotungo (6). Campbell, Rawl (3), Evans (6), Rowland (7), Wilson (7), Hernandez (8), Spigner (8) and Powell, Grenwood (9). W-Campbell (1-1). L-Timanus (0-1). Save-None. 2B-WC, Stavrou, USC, Meyer, Gonce. 3B-USC, Coutlangus. HR-WC, Lein (5), USC, Buscher (5), Dyson (6), Bell (1).
