May 18, 2003
Columbia, S.C. – Sophomore left-hander Matt Campbell struck out 13 and allowed just two hits in seven innings Sunday as South Carolina defeated Georgia 5-2 to sweep its third consecutive Southeastern Conference baseball series.
The Gamecocks finished the regular season with a 38-18 overall record, 19-11 in the conference. Georgia finished 29-26, 10-20. In their final three conference series South Carolina swept three games from Kentucky, Alabama and Georgia. The Gamecocks won 18 of their last 24 SEC games after a 1-5 start.
As winner of the Eastern Division championship South Carolina will be seeded second in the SEC tournament and will play Alabama at 1 p.m., CDT, when the SEC tournament begins Wednesday at Hoover, Ala. Alabama, Arkansas and Vanderbilt each finished with 14-16 records in the SEC. Due to Alabama and Vanderbilt not meeting each other this season, the three-team tiebreaker to determine seeding is determined by the won-lost percentage of the tied teams versus the No. 1 Seed (LSU). Vanderbilt’s two wins (.667) vs. LSU gives the Commodores the sixth seed. With the three-team tie broken, the two-team tie breaker is used betweeen Alabama and Arkansas for the last two spots (won-lost results in head-to-head competition). Alabama swept Arkansas this season, which makes the Crimson Tide the seventh seed and the Razorbacks the eighth seed.
South Carolina also finished second to Western Division champion Louisiana State in the overall SEC standings.
Campbell, who struck out seven of the first nine batters he faced, improved his record to 5-3. Georgia starter Brandon Moorhead, 1-1, was charged with the loss. Campbell was relieved by Chris Hernandez when Campbell walked the first batter he faced in the eighth inning. Hernandez gave up one hit, a solo ninth inning home run to Lee Mitchell. Hernandez struck out two, raising the Gamecock total for the game to 15.
The 13 strikeouts were a career high for Campbell. His previous high was nine in eight innings Feb. 23 against Duquesne. Campbell had eight strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings in a College World Series win over Clemson last year.
Three of South Carolina’s five runs were unearned as Georgia committed three errors.
South Carolina took a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning. Justin Harris and Brian Buscher singled to open the frame. Moorhead struck out Landon Powell and Matt Riddle but hit Bryan Triplett with a pitch to load the bases. Michael Campbell walked to force in a run. Steven Tolleson hit a ground ball wide of third base that Mitchell booted for an error and two more runs scored.
Kevin Melillo and Harris singled to open the Gamecock fifth inning. Georgia relief pitcher Paul Lubrano threw wildly to second on Brian Buscher’s fielder’s choice. Melillo scored, Harris went to third and Buscher reached first. Harris scored on a sacrifice fly by Powell.
Georgia scored its first run in the sixth inning. Jascha Balcom walked with one out and moved to third on a single by David Coffey, the second and final hit off Campbell. Balcom scored on a fielder’s choice out by Mitchell.
