May 17, 2007
Columbia, S.C. – Travis Jones homered twice and collected six RBI and behind a season-high eight innings of work from Mike Cisco, eighth ranked South Carolina defeated Georgia 13-3 on Thursday evening in the first of a three-game SEC series and clinching a spot in the conference tournament for the Gamecocks. Carolina improves to 39-15 and 16-12 in SEC play while the loss drops Georgia to 22-31 and 10-18 in the conference. Both teams meet on Friday in game two of the series, scheduled for 7 pm at Sarge Frye Field. Friday night is Senior Day and the first 1,500 fans entering the game will receive Sarge Frye Field replicas.
Jones tallied his fourth multi-homer game of the year and leads the team with 18 home runs. 14 of his 18 homers have come against SEC opponents. The six RBI in a game was the most by a Carolina player since March 23, 2004 when Michael Campbell tallied six at Wofford and the most in an SEC game in four years when Landon Powell had six RBI on May 17, 2003, ironically, against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sarge Frye Field. He finished 3-for-4 with four runs scored. The four runs scored are the most by a Gamecock player this year. James Darnell added three hits and extended his hitting streak to 11 games as well. The Gamecocks also have 100 home runs on the season, a total that leads the nation.
In his first SEC start since March 31st, Cisco limited the Bulldogs to three runs on seven hits while striking out five batters and walking one to pick up the win. He is 5-2 on the year. His eight innings of work was also the longest stint of the year by a Gamecock pitcher. Georgia starter Stephen Dodson was touched for nine runs on nine hits in six innings and had one strikeout and one walk.
South Carolina broke out of the gates early with two runs in the first inning. Jones led off with an infield single and would score on Darnell’s RBI double down the left field line. Darnell would score the second run of the frame on a RBI groundout from Phil Disher.
The lead for Carolina grew to 5-0 in the second with three more against Dodson. With two outs, Steven Reinhold singled followed by a base hit from Reese Havens to set the stage for Travis Jones. On a 2-2 pitch, Jones drove the ball over the right centerfield wall for his first homer of the game to give Carolina a five-run cushion.
Georgia broke the shutout in the sixth inning with back-to-back one-out hits off Cisco to score a run. Gordon Beckham connected with a double, advanced to third base on a wild pitch and scored on Rich Poythress’ RBI base hit to right center.
Jones again delivered for the Gamecocks in the sixth inning with another home run, highlighting a four-run sixth inning. Carolina loaded the bases with one out as Trent Kline singled, Harley Lail singled and Steven Reinhold was hit by a pitch. South Carolina’s first run came on a RBI sacrifice fly from Havens. With a pair of runners and two outs, Jones went to work again as he crushed a homer to left field giving Carolina a 9-1 lead. The Bulldogs would score twice in the seventh inning on a two-run homer from Ryan Peisel. South Carolina scored five final runs in the eighth inning. Darnell and Justin Smoak each had two-out RBI singles and Phil Disher connected with a RBI double as well. Curtis Johnson pitched a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts to close the game for Carolina.
