April 18, 2008
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Columbia, S.C. – James Darnell hit a grand slam home run and Mike Cisco allowed just one run in 6.2 innings of work as South Carolina defeated Ole Miss 6-2 on Friday evening in game one of an SEC baseball series. The Gamecocks are now 28-10 and 10-6 in the SEC while the loss drops Ole Miss to 24-14 and 9-7 in the conference. Both teams meet in game two of the series with first pitch scheduled for 4 pm. The game will be broadcast live on SEC TV and FSN South and also on the Gamecock Radio Network.
Cisco was effective and limited the Rebels from scoring until the sixth inning as he improved to 5-1 on the year to earn the victory. He allowed just one run on eight hits while striking out three and walking two batters. Ole Miss starting pitcher Lance Lynn suffered the loss, his first of the season, and is now 5-1 on the year. Lynn allowed six runs on 10 hits in seven innings of work. He struck out two and walked one.
Carolina would touch Lynn early with a run in the bottom of the first inning. The Gamecocks used three consecutive singles from Whit Merrifield, Justin Smoak and James Darnell to go ahead 1-0. Merrifield would reach on a bunt base hit, advanced to third on a single down the right field line and scored on Darnell’s RBI to left center.
Darnell would give the Gamecocks a big edge then with his grand slam blast in the bottom of the third inning that increased Carolina’s lead to 5-0 against the Rebels. Scott Wingo got things started in the inning for Carolina with a walk followed by a single from Reese Havens and a one-out base hit by Justin Smoak that loaded the bases and set the stage for Carolina. Darnell would get a hitter’s count as Lynn fell behind 2-0 to the Gamecock third baseman and Darnell made him pay as he turned on a fastball on the next pitch for a home run to left center. It was Darnell’s 13th homer of the year and second grand slam of the season.
The Gamecocks would add a run in the sixth inning with a RBI double courtesy of Justin Smoak. Ole Miss tallied single runs in the sixth and ninth innings with Brett Basham collecting a RBI single for the first Ole Miss run and Tim Ferguson hitting his first career homer in the ninth inning. Gamecock reliever Parker Bangs would shut the door for Carolina as he worked the final 2.1 innings and allowed just one run on one hit to close out the win for the Gamecocks.
South Carolina finished with a 10-9 hit advantage. Smoak’s four hits led the way with Darnell and Merrifield finishing with two apiece. Ole Miss got two hits from both Tim Ferguson and Brett Basham.
