April 6, 2002
FAYETTEVILLE, AR – Jeff Fletcher, a .238 hitter with no previous home runs, hit a three run walk off homer with one out in the bottom of the 15th inning Saturday to bring Arkansas from the brink of defeat to an 8-7 win over fourth ranked South Carolina.
The dramatic ending gave the Razorbacks a 2-0 lead in the series with the third game scheduled for 11:30 a.m., Central time(12:30 South Carolina time), Sunday at Baum Stadium. Arkansas improved its record to 17-11, 4-5 in the Southeastern Conference. South Carolina dropped to 24-8, 6-5.
Scott Woods, 4-0, the fifth Arkansas pitcher, worked one inning to get the win. Freshman left-hander Matt Campbell, 1-2, the fourth South Carolina pitcher, was brought in to face Fletcher and gave up the home run and was charged with the loss.
South Carolina took a 7-5 lead in the top of the 15th inning. Tim Seaton led off with a hit and stole second base. Drew Meyer drew a base on balls. Kevin Melillo laid down a sacrifice bunt and all runners were safe when Woods threw to third base too late to retire Seaton and the bases were loaded. Yaron Peters drove in Seaton and Meyer with a base hit. Trey Dyson moved the runners with a sacrifice and Steve Thomas was intentionally walked to again load the bases but Garris Gonce hit into a double play to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 15th Brett Hagedorn singled. After Brady Toops struck out Scott Hode singled and Campbell replaced Steven Bondurant who had shut the Razorbacks out since entering the game in the ninth inning. Fletcher hit a three balls and one strike pitch over the left field fence to end the game.
Arkansas took a 3-0 first inning lead on three hits, a walk and an error and led 4-1 after a solo home run by Ryan Fox in the third inning. The Razorbacks didn’t get another hit until the ninth inning.
Thomas hit his third homer of the season for South Carolina in the second inning and the Gamecocks cut the deficit to 4-2 in the eighth inning on a walk, a hit and an Arkansas error.
Peters, with two outs and two strikes in the top of the ninth, tied the game with a two run homer, his 12th of the season. A solo homer by Dyson, his 10th, gave the Gamecocks their first lead, 5-4, in the 14th inning but Arkansas remained alive by tying it in the bottom of the inning. Patrick Woodruff doubled, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a hit by Fox. It was the fifth hit of the game for Fox.
South Carolina had 17 hits to 13 for Arkansas and three home runs to two by the Razorbacks but the Gamecocks left 17 runners on base to 12 for the Razorbacks in the 15 inning marathon.
With five Fox was the only Arkansas player with more than one hit. Peters had three hits and four runs batted in for South Carolina. He has 51 RBI in 32 games this season. Gonce also had three hits, including a double. Melillo, Dyson, Thomas, Brian Buscher and Seaton had two hits for South Carolina. Both of the hits by Buscher were doubles.
SOUTH CAROLINA 010 000 012 000 012 – 7-17-2
ARKANSAS 301 000 000 000 013 – 8-13-2
Marchbanks, Taylor (6), Bondurant (9), Campbell (15) and Powell. Gardner, Berry (7), Roehl (9), Pomeroy (13), Woods (15) and Powell. W-Woods (3-0). L-Campbell (1-2). Save-None. 2B-USC, Buscher 2, Gonce, UA, Woodruff, Fox. HR-USC, Thomas (3), Peters (12), Dyson (10), UA, Fox (7), Fletcher (1).
