Feb. 15, 2002
COLUMBIA, SC –
South Carolina struck for five first inning runs Friday, including homers by Garris Gonce and Landon Powell, and defeated East Tennessee State 14-2 in the first of a three game college baseball series. With the victory, USC head coach Ray Tanner surpassed former head coach Bobby Richardson for second on the all-time wins list at Carolina with 221 victories.
The second game is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., Saturday at Sarge Frye Field. The Gamecock 15 hit attack also included an eighth inning pinch hit home run by Matt Riddle.
Sophomore lefthander David Marchbanks allowed all six East Tennessee hits and both runs in 6 2/3 innings to register his second win of the season as South Carolina improved its record to 4-0. East Tennessee State lost its season opener with Donnie Sharp charged with the loss. He gave up seven hits and eight earned runs in 2 2/3 innings.
Freshman lefthander Matt Campbell pitched the final 2 1/3 innings for the Gamecocks. He walked two and struck out two. ETSU used four pitchers in the game.
Drew Meyer had three hits and four other Gamecocks had two hits, including Justin Harris, Yaron Peters, Gonce and Steve Thomas. Thomas, Peters, Trey Dyson and Brian Buscher had doubles. Peters and Dyson had three runs batted in and Gonce drove in two.
East Tennessee bunched four of its six hits to score its two runs in the third inning. Jeremy Terry doubled ahead of singles by Ryan Hyder, Caleb Moore and Brandon Cross. Moore scored on a Gamecock error and Hyder came home on the hit by Moore.
In the five run first inning, walks to Jon Coutlangus and Harris, the first of two sacrifice flies by Peters, a double by Dyson and back to back home runs by Gonce and Powell, the second of the season by both, accounted for five runs. South Carolina added one run in the second inning, two in the third, one in the fourth, one in the fifth, three in the seventh, and Riddle’s homer in the eighth.
EAST TENNESSEE STATE 002 000 000 – 2-6-1
SOUTH CAROLINA 512 110 31x -14-15-2
Sharp, Kite (3), Smith (6), Hensley (8) and Moore. Marchbanks, M. Campbell (7) and Powell, Greenwood (8). W-Marchbanks (2-0). L-Sharp (0-1). Save-None. 2B-ETSU, Terry, USC, Dyson, Peters, Buscher, Thomas. HR-USC, Gonce (2), Powell (2), Riddle (1).
