March 5, 2003
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Michael Campbell, Brian Buscher and Landon Powell combined for seven hits and seven runs batted in Wednesday night to lead South Carolina to a 9-2 non-conference baseball win over Furman.
Freshman right-hander Conor Lalor, 2-0, pitched 5 2/3 innings to earn the win. He allowed six hits, both Furman runs, walked one and struck out three. Jon Stallsmith, 0-1, the Furman starter, took the loss as sixth ranked South Carolina improved its record to 11-2. Furman dropped to 7-4.
Campbell drove in the first South Carolina run with a third inning triple, had a bunt single and scored in the fifth, walked and scored in the seventh, and drove in a run with an eighth inning single. Buscher had a bunt single and scored in the fifth and hit a two run home run in the seventh, his second of the season. Powell doubled and scored in the fourth inning, doubled with the bases loaded to drive in three runs and also scored in the fifth.
Kevin Melillo, Campbell and Buscher hit first pitch bunt singles to load the bases with no outs to begin the South Carolina fifth inning. Powell cleared the bases with his second double. He moved to third on the fourth bunt single of the inning by Steve Tolleson and scored when pinch hitter Jon Coutlangus grounded out.
Furman scored its two runs in the sixth inning. Craig Caudill singled with one out and advanced to third on a double by Derek Norman. A sacrifice fly by Dominick Frankey scored Caudill and moved Norman to third. He scored on a single by Sam McLain.
Freshman left-hander Zach Reeves relieved Lalor after Cole Hubka followed McLain’s RBI single with the fourth Furman hit of the inning. Reeves took over with a one and two count on Matthew Betstill and struck him out to end the Furman rally.
Reeves retired eight of the nine batters he faced, four by strikeouts. Chris Hernandez retired the final Paladin batter in the ninth inning.
Norman and Hubka had two hits to account for more than half the Furman total of seven. South Carolina had 11 hits.
FURMAN 000 002 000 – 2-7-0
SOUTH CAROLINA 001 140 21x – 9-11-0
Stallsmith, Hudson (5), Hurst (5), Hodinka (7), Funk (8) and Norman. Lalor, Reeves (6), Hernandez (9) and Powell, Greenwood (9). W-Lalor (2-0). L-Stallsmith (0-1). Save-None. 2B-FU, Norman; USC, Powell 2. 3B-USC, Mi. Campbell. HR-USC, Buscher (2).
