Feb. 23, 2008
Columbia, S.C. – 24th ranked East Carolina scored five runs in the third inning and added a grand slam homer from Brandon Henderson in the fifth inning on its way to a 13-4 win over second ranked South Carolina. The Gamecocks and Pirates split a day-night doubleheader after South Carolina won the opener 22-5 and will play the rubber game of the series on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 pm at Sarge Frye Field. The game will be broadcast live in Columbia on 107.5 FM “The Game” with Mike Morgan and Tommy Moody on the call. Live audio and video is also available at gamecocksonline.com.
Henderson finished 4-for-5 with five RBI with Jamie Ray adding three hits and Kyle Roller and Corey Kemp finishing with two apiece as East Carolina tallied 14 on the night. Whit Merrifield and Harley Lail had two hits apiece to lead the Gamecocks at the plate.
East Carolina reliever Daniel Holder worked into the ninth inning and pitched 4.1 innings of relief to pick up the win. He allowed just one run on four hits. South Carolina starting pitcher Blake Cooper suffered the loss. He went three innings and allowed six runs, three earned on six hits with one walk.
East Carolina took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning scoring an unearned run off of Cooper. Stephen Batts reached base on a fielding error by James Darnell and scored from first base on Kyle Roller’s RBI double.
The Gamecocks would bounce back in the bottom half of the inning though with two runs to take a one-run lead. Reese Havens led off the frame with a towering fly ball to left field. On the warning track, Batts, the left fielder, dropped the ball and Havens scored to tie the game at one. USC would then take a 2-1 lead on a solo homer from Whit Merrifield, his first career hit and homer in a Gamecock uniform.
The five-run third inning for East Carolina would put the Pirates up by four runs. Harrison Eldridge led off with a single that was followed by a walk issued to Ryan Wood and a fielding error by Andrew Crisp. With the bases loaded, ECU would tie the game on Kyle Roller’s RBI single. Jamie Ray then would knock a RBI triple to center field that got by a diving Whit Merrifield to clear the bases and put East Carolina up 6-2. South Carolina got a run back in the third inning on a solo home run from Reese Havens. The Pirates however would answer with a run in the fourth and four more in the fifth inning on Henderson’s grand slam home run. East Carolina scored twice more in the eighth inning on a RBI hit from Henderson, his fifth RBI of the game and off an error. South Carolina scored its final run in the ninth inning on a wild pitch.
