March 26, 2004
Fayetteville, Ark. – Jake Dugger’s two-out triple in the eighth inning broke a 3-3 tie and lifted Arkansas to a 5-3 win over fourth ranked South Carolina at Baum Field in the first of a three-game baseball series. Arkansas improves to 16-8 and 2-2 in the SEC while the loss drops South Carolina to 20-3 and 1-3 in the SEC.
Arkansas reliever Caton Hall worked two innings of relief to pick up the win for the Razorbacks, his first of the season. Hall struck out three and allowed just one hit. South Carolina freshman Arik Hempy took the loss for South Carolina moving his record to 0-1 on the season. Hempy worked one 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on two hits.
With the game knotted at three apiece, Devin Day knocked a two-out single that took a bad hop off Bryan Triplett. After a wild pitch advanced Day to second, the Gamecocks intentionally walked Arkansas’ Scott Hode to set up the left-left situation between Hempy and Arkansas’ Jake Dugger. Dugger knocked a 2-2 pitch from Hempy down the right field line for a triple scoring Day and Hode to put the Razorbacks on top by two runs.
Dugger finished the night 2-for-4 with a run scored, home run and three RBI to lead Arkansas. Scott Hode was also 2-for-2 with two runs scored, a home run and one RBI. South Carolina finished with nine hits on the night as Brendan Winn and Hank Parks collected two apiece to lead USC. Landon Powell’s hitting streak of 18 games snapped this evening as Powell went 0-for-4.
South Carolina went ahead first in the game with two runs in the first inning off Arkansas starter Clint Brannon. After Bryan Triplett reached on an error by second baseman Devin Day, Michael Campbell belted a 3-1 pitch to right center for his ninth homer of the season and fourth of the week. The Razorbacks came back in their frame with one run as Jake Dugger hit his second home run of the year to cut the Gamecock lead to one run.
Carolina increased the lead to 3-1 in the third inning on a solo homer from Brendan Winn, his eighth of the season and second of the week. The Razorbacks would edge within one again in the bottom of the fifth as Scott Hode knocked a solo homer to left field.
Arkansas tied the game at 3-3 in the seventh inning. After two-out walks to Kern Watts and Danny Hamblin, Haas Pratt hit the first pitch from South Carolina starter Billy Buckner for a pop-up. On the play, Gamecock second baseman Tommy King misjudged the ball allowing Watts to score from first and tying the game.
Buckner worked six 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on four hits while striking out 10 and walking six batters. Arkansas starter Clint Brannon went seven innings and allowed three runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and no walks.
