May 23, 2003
Hoover, Ala. – South Carolina managed only three hits Friday but used two Vanderbilt errors to score three unearned runs and defeat the Commodores 3-2 to remain alive in the Southeastern Conference baseball tournament.
The Gamecocks will meet the loser of the Alabama-Auburn winners bracket game at 11 a.m., Eastern time, Saturday at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. Alabama and Auburn were scheduled in a later game on Friday.
Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year David Marchbanks gave up 11 hits in 8 1/3 innings but was the winner to improve his record to a conference leading 13-2 with ninth inning help from reliever Aaron Rawl. Rawl used four pitches to register the final two outs and earn his sixth save.
Robert Ransom pitched the first seven innings for Vanderbilt and allowed only two hits and one unearned run but left with the score tied at 1-1. Ryan Mullins, 3-8, allowed one hit in two innings of relief but was the victim of two unearned eighth inning runs to take the loss.
South Carolina has defeated Vanderbilt 21 consecutive times dating back to the first game of the 1997 series, a 15-9 Commodore win at Columbia.
Jon Coutlangus walked with one out in the fifth inning and raced to third when Michael Campbell reached on an error by Vanderbilt second baseman Zach Simpson. Campbell scored on a sacrifice fly by Trey McDaniel to give South Carolina a 1-0 lead.
Vanderbilt tied it in the bottom of the sixth inning. Tony Mansolino singled with one out and was forced at second by Warner Jones. He moved around to score on consecutive hits by Jonathan Douillard and Worth Scott.
In the top of the eighth inning Steven Tolleson beat out a bunt for his second hit of the game and just the third by the Gamecock team. Pinch runner Tim Seaton moved to second on a sacrifice. Justin Harris grounded to Commodore shortstop Ryan Klosterman who threw to third in an attempt to get Seaton, who was safe on the fielder’s choice. Brian Buscher grounded to the mound and was out with Harris moving to second and Seaton holding at third. Both Seaton and Harris scored on an error by Klosterman.
Trailing 3-1, Vanderbilt staged a rally in the bottom of the ninth inning. Marchbanks struck out Simpson to open the half inning, the ninth strikeout by Marchbanks, but pinch hitter Mickey Kropf singled and was replaced by pinch runner Gil Kim. Klosterman walked and John Kaye singled to drive in Kim with the second Vanderbilt run. Rawl replaced Marchbanks and on his first pitch Cesar Nicholas popped up to second base. Three pitches later Tony Mansolino ended the game with a fly ball to Coutlangus in center field.
Aside from the two by Tolleson, South Carolina’s only other hit was a fourth inning single by Buscher which stretched his current hitting streak to 13 games. The SEC’s leading hitter with a .391 average, Buscher had a 14 game streak at the beginning of the season.
Ten of the 11 hits off Marchbanks were singles. The only extra base hit of the game was a seventh inning one out double by Klosterman. Klosterman, Kaye and Scott had two hits apiece for the Commodores.
Sophomore left-hander Matt Campbell, 5-3, is South Carolina’s probable Saturday pitcher and coach Ray Tanner said “We are very happy to survive and advance in this tournament after dropping our game yesterday. This is a funny game. Yesterday we had 15 hits and lost while we were only able to manage three hits today and won.”
Tanner added that he believed the SEC coaching is second to none. “The SEC has assembled arguably the best baseball conference in the nation and you can tell by the scores of this tournament so far.”
