March 7, 2006
Columbia, S.C. – Neil Giesler had four hits and Cheyne Hurst had three, including a pair of doubles by each, Tuesday night to lead South Carolina to an 8-1 college baseball win over William & Mary.
Six South Carolina pitchers combined to strike out a season high 15 batters while walking only one as the ninth ranked Gamecocks improved to 10-2 on the season. William & Mary dropped to 5-8.
Harris Honeycutt pitched the first four innings in a pre-determined split to earn credit for his first decision of the season. Michael LeFleur, 1-1, took the loss. Honeycutt allowed three hits but no runs, walked one and struck out seven, tying his career-high he set two years ago vs. North Carolina.
South Carolina collected 11 hits and capitalized on four hit batters, five wild pitches and six bases on balls by a parade of five William & Mary pitchers. Gamecock designated hitter Robbie Grinestaff tied a school record when he walked four times.
South Carolina’s first three batters of the game reached on a hit by Hurst, a hit batter and the first of Geisler’s two doubles, but the Gamecocks managed only one run in the inning. South Carolina added two runs in the fourth inning, one in the fifth, two in the sixth and two in the seventh.
William & Mary scored its lone run in the fifth inning when Paul Juliano doubled and rode home on a single by Brian Morosky. The Tribe loaded the bases with one out in the fourth and ninth innings but each time the Gamecock pitchers threw back to back strikeouts to leave the bases loaded.
Geisler’s two singles and two doubles in five official at bats raised his season batting average to .514. He has hit safely in nine of 10 games played this year.
Hurst had three hits in four official at bats to raise his season average to .395. Freshman James Darnell scored three times and stole a base. He had one hit walked once and was hit by a pitch.
William & Mary had eight hits, two each by Juliano, Greg Sexton and Greg Maliniak. The double by Juliano was the only extra base hit by the Tribe.
South Carolina entertains Quinnipiac University on a three game series beginning Friday night at Sarge Frye Field. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. with Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.
