May 14, 2003
Columbia, S.C. – A three run sixth inning home run by Chip Cannon and three more runs in the ninth inning Wednesday night powered The Citadel to a 7-4 upset win over 19th ranked South Carolina in a non-conference baseball game before 4,382 fans at Sarge Frye Field.
The Bulldogs improved their record to 30-22 while South Carolina had a seven game win streak halted and dropped to 35-18. Matt Hamer, 5-1, the fourth of five Citadel pitchers, was credited with the win. Zach Reeves, who failed to retire any of the three batters he faced and gave up Cannon’s 10th homer of the season, took the loss. It was the first decision for the freshman left-hander.
Regular season play ends this weekend with South Carolina entertaining Georgia in a Southeastern Conference three game series and The Citadel at home in a Southern Conference series. South Carolina has clinched at least a tie for the SEC Eastern Division championship and trails Western Division leader Louisiana State by 2 ? games in the overall race.
South Carolina led 2-1 when Reeves replaced the Gamecock starter, freshman right-hander Conor Lalor, with one out in the top of the sixth inning. Reeves walked Andy Phillips and wild pitched him to second. Phillips moved to third when Brook Dantzler bounced an infield hit to deep shortstop. Cannon hit a two strike pitch over the right field fence to give The Citadel a 4-2 lead.
Brian Buscher hit his 11th home run in the seventh inning to cut the lead to 4-3 but the Gamecocks, who had left the bases loaded in the fourth inning, loaded them again without scoring in the eighth.
In the top of the ninth inning, with one out, Chris Ard, Trent Weathers and Josh Stackley singled in succession. Ard scored on the Stackley hit and Weathers scored when the hit eluded center fielder Jon Coutlangus for an error. Stackley wound up at third base and scored on a sacrifice fly by Will Coker.
South Carolina loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and scored a run on a passed ball but pinch hitter Demetric Smith, representing the tying run, struck out to end the game.
Jon Aughey led off the game with his fifth home run to give The Citadel a 1-0 lead. Kevin Melillo tied it with his ninth homer in the third inning and South Carolina moved out front 2-1 in the fourth on a single by Matt Riddle and three walks but left three runners stranded. The Gamecocks left 14 runners in the game.
Stackley had three hits and Aughey had two of 10 hits by The Citadel. South Carolina had 11 hits with Buscher, Justin Harris, Landon Powell and Riddle each having two.
