April 14, 2007
Columbia, S.C. – Arik Hempy pitched 6.2 scoreless innings and allowed just two hits and behind a pair of three-run homers from James Darnell and Travis Jones, fourth ranked South Carolina defeated Auburn 10-1 on Saturday afternoon in game two of a three-game SEC series. The Gamecocks are now 27-8 and 8-6 in the SEC while the loss drops Auburn to 25-13 and 4-10 in conference play. The rubber game of the series is set for Sunday, April 15 with first pitch at 1:30 pm ET. Live audio, video and gametracker stats are available at uscsports.com with the game also on the Gamecock Radio Network.
The 6.2 innings for Hempy was a season-high. Saturday’s game was his first SEC start of the season. He struck out five and walked just four to pick up the win. Hempy is now 3-0 on the year. Auburn starter Taylor Thompson did not get out of the first inning and lasted just 0.2 innings. He allowed six runs on five hits to suffer the loss. Thompson is 4-1 this season for Auburn.
Carolina took a 6-0 lead in the first inning batting around against Thompson and on the back of the two home runs from Darnell and Jones. The frame opened with Harley Lail walking followed up by another walk issued to Trent Kline. Darnell then drove a 2-1 pitch from Thompson over the center field wall for his 10th homer of the season. One-out infield singles from Phil Disher and Andrew Crisp set the stage for Jones, who delivered on a 1-2 pitch with a homer to left center, his ninth of the year, to give the Gamecocks a six-run cushion.
The Gamecocks would add single runs in both the fourth and fifth innings as well as two more in the seventh inning. Lail and Havens each delivered with RBI doubles and Jones tallied his fourth RBI on a single. Auburn scored a run in the ninth inning on a sacrifice fly from Joseph Sanders.
South Carolina out-hit Auburn 15-4 on the afternoon with Cheyne Hurst finishing 4-for-4, Jones tallying three hits and Disher and Crisp getting two apiece. Justin Smoak extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a double as well. Bruce Edwards had two of the four hits for Auburn.
South Carolina will start sophomore LHP Will Atwood with Auburn countering with sophomore RHP Justin Bristow.
