April 28, 2002
LEXINGTON, KY – The fifth-ranked South Carolina baseball team swept a doubleheader from Kentucky Sunday afternoon, giving the Gamecocks a sweep of a three-game Southeastern Conference college baseball series. Carolina won the first game 6-4 and took the second 12-6, both games in seven innings. South Carolina improved its record to 34-10 and 14-6 in the SEC while the Wildcats moved to 14-28 and 3-17 in the SEC. South Carolina has now won eight of its last nine SEC games and six of seven SEC series on the year, including two three-game sweeps.
Tied 4-4 in the sixth inning, Justin Harris knocked a two-out RBI single to left field to score Garris Gonce and Yaron Peters hit his 16th home run of the season off of reliever Bryan Felkel in the seventh as South Carolina won the first game of the doubleheader 6-4. Chris Spigner pitched 2.1 innings of relief and improved his record to 5-0 on the year and Blake Taylor earned his SEC-leading 12th save. Kentucky starting pitcher Joseph Blanton took the loss and is now 3-6 on the season.
Carolina wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, knocking Blanton for three runs in the first inning. Leading off the game, junior shortstop Drew Meyer blasted a first pitch fastball over the right centerfield wall to put USC on top 1-0. With one out and Steve Thomas on first, Brian Buscher knocked a triple off the centerfield wall to score Thomas and increase the Gamecock lead to 2-0. Trey Dyson had an RBI groundout to score Buscher putting the Gamecocks up by three runs.
Kentucky came back with a run in the bottom of the inning as Gordon Tyler knocked a two-out RBI single to centerfield to score Spencer Graeter and move the lead to 3-1.
Caleb Stewart inched the Wildcats one run closer in the third inning as he knocked a fly ball to left field that the wind took out of the park. Kentucky tied the game up at 3-3 in the fourth inning as Seth Morris knocked his 10th home run of the season to left field.
With the game knotted at 3-3, Steve Thomas knocked a 3-1 fastball from off Blanton over the left field wall for his fifth home run of the season, giving the Gamecocks a 4-3 lead. The lead was short lived however, as Morris came through with two outs again for Kentucky, knocking a single to center field to score Graeter.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Gamecocks pounded out 15 hits including four home runs as USC defeated Kentucky 12-6. Drew Meyer batted 3-for-4 and Trey Dyson batted 3-for-4 including a home run and four RBI.
The Gamecocks struck again early on the Wildcats as they put another three spot on the board in the first inning. Trey Dyson hit his 12th home run of the season to over the left centerfield wall put the Gamecocks on top 3-0.
South Carolina sent 11 batters to the plate and scored six runs on eight hits to increase the lead to 9-0 in the third inning, in the process knocking out Wildcat starter Wade. Steve Thomas knocked his second home run of the day to left field, a two-run shot and Brian Buscher added another two-run homer. Landon Powell and Drew Meyer added RBI singles as the Gamecocks went on top by nine runs.
Kentucky wasn’t done though, scoring four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on a grand slam home run from Russ Rutherford off of Carolina starter Steven Bondurant, his first career grand slam. Carolina got one run back in the top of the fifth as Kevin Melillo hit his second home run of the season to put USC back on top by five runs, 10-5.
Carolina would score two more runs in the game by an RBI single from Landon Powell and an RBI double from Trey Dyson. Rocky Evans earned his first career victory in relief of Bondurant, pitching three and two third innings allowing only one hit and one unearned run. Evans is now 1-1 on the season.
Carolina will next play on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. at Wofford before coming home to Sarge Frye Field for a weekend series with Ole Miss.
