April 28, 2007
Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Junior left-handed pitcher Arik Hempy struck out a season-high seven batters in 7.1 innings of work as South Carolina bounced back to defeat Alabama 4-1 in game two of a three-game SEC series. Hempy improved to 4-1 on the year with the win as Carolina goes to 33-12 and 11-9 in the SEC. The loss drops Alabama to 24-20 and 9-11 in the conference. The rubber game of the series is scheduled for 3 pm ET and will be broadcast live on the Gamecock Radio Network and on-line at uscsports.com.
It was Hempy’s longest stint of the season in the win. He limited the Crimson Tide to one run on seven hits with his seven strikeouts and two walks allowed. Carolina relief pitcher Jeff Jeffords retired the final four batters of the game to earn his second save of the year. He struck out two batters in 1.2 innings of work. Alabama starting pitcher Miers Quigley suffered the loss and is 4-4 on the year. He worked eight innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on nine hits with nine strikeouts and two walks.
South Carolina went ahead 1-0 in the top of the second inning with an unearned run against Quigley. Justin Smoak reached base to lead off the frame on a throwing error by Tide third baseman Jake Smith and advanced to second on Quigley’s first wild pitch of the game. With one out and a 3-2 count, Trent Kline then drove in Smoak with a double down the left field line to give the Gamecocks a one-run edge. For Kline, it was his team-leading 15th double of the season.
The Crimson Tide came back to tie it up in the bottom of the fourth inning. Brandon May opened the inning with a single and advanced to third base on a one-out base hit from Kent Matthes. May would score the first Alabama run on Matt Bentley’s RBI sacrifice fly to left field.
The Gamecocks regained the lead in the sixth inning with a pair of runs against Quigley. Andrew Crisp led off with a solo home run to left field, his fourth of the year. Justin Smoak kept it going for the Carolina bats with a one-out double. After a Phil Disher single put runners on the corners, Smoak would score on a RBI fielder’s choice from Kline, his second RBI of the afternoon.
That lead extended to 4-1 in the eighth inning with the Gamecocks’ second homer of the game, a leadoff solo home run from James Darnell, his 14th of the season. Darnell and Smoak lead the team with 14 apiece on the year.
Carolina out-hit the Crimson Tide 9-7 in the game with Smoak and Kline each tallying two hits. Kent Matthes went 2-for-4 to lead Alabama at the plate.
