Feb. 15, 2004
Columbia, S.C. – Zac McCamie pitched seven innings of two hit baseball and Steve Pearce supplied all the offense McCamie needed with a first inning home run Sunday as South Carolina shut out Charleston Southern 3-0 to sweep a three game weekend college baseball series.
The pitcher’s duel between McCamie (1-0) and CSU left-hander Brad Bissell (0-1) was in sharp contrast to the Saturday game which the Gamecocks won 38-0 and set or tied 11 school records.
McCamie struck out 10 and walked only one. He allowed a second inning infield single by Brian Sole and a clean single in the third inning by Jordan Haar.
Bissell scattered eight hits over seven innings. He struck out eight and walked two. The only run he allowed was the first inning homer by Pearce, the third homer of the series by Pearce.
South Carolina scored two eighth inning insurance runs off Buccaneer right-hander Robert Parnell who walked two Gamecocks with the bases loaded. Landon Powell and Brendan Winn, the first two batters faced by Parnell, singled. Kevin Melillo was safe on a fielders choice when Parnell’s throw to second on Melillo’s tap back to the mound was late. That loaded the bases and walks to pinch hitter Trey McDaniel and Steven Tolleson drove in two runs.
South Carolina used three pitchers in the eighth and ninth innings with Chad Blackwell earning his second save. He faced four batters and struck out three. South Carolina pitchers recorded 14 strikeouts Sunday and in the three game series fanned 47 while walking seven. In the series Gamecock pitchers allowed 12 hits and two earned runs and an opponent batting average of .132.
Pearce, who was used only as a pinch hitter in the first game, had eight hits in 10 at bats in the series including his three home runs. He drove in eight runs. Winn was seven for nine with two doubles, a triple and a home run. He hit for the cycle in the Saturday game.
Bryan Triplett had six hits in 12 at bats including a pair of doubles during the weekend as the Gamecocks registered 52 hits for a .419 composite batting average. Melillo drove in seven runs Friday night and homered twice in the same inning.
Fifteen South Carolina batters had at least one hit each in the series as Coach Ray Tanner used 18 position players and 10 pitchers.
The start of the Sunday game, like the Saturday contest, was delayed by rain. Sunday’s contest began an hour and a half late and ended just before heavy rains returned. The Friday contest began five hours and 23 minutes late and didn’t end until 10 p.m.
South Carolina resumes action at 3 p.m., Friday when UNC-Wilmington comes to Sarge Frye Field for a three game weekend series.
