May 11, 2004
Ft. Mill, S.C. – Seventh ranked South Carolina used three home runs including Brendan Winn’s 17th of the season to defeat 16th ranked North Carolina 9-4 in the Battle of the Border at Knights Stadium in front of 4,406 fans. USC starting pitcher Harris Honeycutt worked a career-high five innings to pick up his first career win as the Gamecocks improved to 35-13 while the loss drops North Carolina to 34-13 on the year.
In his first career start, Honeycutt allowed just four runs on four hits to go along with a career-high seven strikeouts. Junior reliever Jason Fletcher hurled the final four innings without allowing a run to earn his first career save. Fletcher struck out six and allowed just two hits in his longest relief appearance of the season. North Carolina starting pitcher Robert Woodard took the loss for the Tar Heels and is now 5-2 on the year. Woodard pitched three and 1/3 innings and allowed five runs, three earned on five hits with two strikeouts and one walk.
The Gamecocks went on top 1-0 in the second inning on the first home run of the game, a solo shot by Kevin Melillo, his eighth home run of the year. Melillo drove the 1-0 pitch from Woodard over the right field wall to give USC a one-run cushion. North Carolina took its first lead of the game in the bottom of the frame with two runs off Honeycutt. After a one-out single from Mike Daniel, the Tar Heels scored their first runs of the game on a two-run homer from Sammy Hewitt.
South Carolina struck back with a run in the third inning to tie the game as Hank Parks knocked the first pitch from Woodard over the left center field wall for a home run. The solo shot was his fifth of the season and knotted the game at two apiece.
USC regained the lead with three runs off of North Carolina in the fourth inning, knocking out UNC starter Robert Woodard in the process. Brendan Winn launched his 17th homer of the year and the third for USC of the game, a towering solo shot that went off the light pole in left center field. The Gamecocks would score two more runs with Michael Campbell and Steve Pearce at a two-out throwing error by second baseman Bryan Steed, plated two more runs across to give USC a 5-2 lead.
North Carolina came back in their half of the fourth with two to cut the Gamecock lead to one run as a Jay Cox walk was followed up by a two-run homer down the left field line from Mike Daniel. South Carolina would get both runs back in the fifth inning though taking advantage of the third Tar Heel error of the game. The Gamecocks loaded the bases with no outs with Bryan Triplett scoring on a RBI fielder’s choice from Melillo and Landon Powell plating across the seventh run on a RBI sacrifice fly by Pearce.
South Carolina went ahead 8-4 in the sixth inning as Davy Gregg would score on a two-out error by new UNC third baseman Justin Webb. Bryan Triplett knocked a sharp grounder to third that went through Webb’s legs to score Gregg. North Carolina finished the game with four errors in the field leading to five unearned runs for USC.
The Gamecocks tacked on a run in the eighth inning as a two-out bases loaded walk to Triplett scored Pearce and gave USC a five-run edge. South Carolina outhit the Tar Heels 8-6 including two hits from Melillo to lead USC at the plate. Daniel went 3-for-3 and Hewitt was 2-for-3 to pace North Carolina.
South Carolina returns to action on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. as the Gamecocks travel to Charleston, S.C. to face The Citadel at Riley Park. South Carolina defeated The Citadel 5-2 on April 21 in the previous meeting between both schools this year.
