April 19, 2008
Columbia, S.C. – Drew Pomeranz and Scott Bittle combined to limit South Carolina to just six hits on the afternoon and Cody Overbeck went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI as Ole Miss defeated South Carolina 5-2 on Saturday afternoon in game two of a SEC baseball series. The loss snaps an eight-game winning streak for the Gamecocks. Ole Miss is now 25-14 and 10-7 in the SEC with Carolina 28-11 and also 10-7 in the conference. Sunday’s rubber game is scheduled for 12 noon at Sarge Frye Field and will be televised live on CSS-TV. A curfew is in effect due to travel as well with no inning allowed to start after 3:30 pm ET.
Pomeranz worked six-plus innings and allowed just one run on four hits with five strikeouts and five walks to pick up the victory. Ole Miss reliever Scott Bittle came on in relief in the seventh inning and lasted three innings to pick up the save. He allowed just one run on two hits while striking out five and walking three. It was his fourth save of the year. Carolina starter Will Atwood suffered the loss and is 4-2 on the year. He worked six innings and allowed two runs on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts and three walks allowed.
Ole Miss had 12 hits to Carolina’s six on the afternoon. Sean Stuyverson went 3-for-4 to lead the Rebels with Overbeck and Fuller Smith also adding two hits apiece. Whit Merrifield was the lone Gamecock with a multi-hit game on the afternoon as he finished 2-for- with a RBI. Ole Miss went ahead 1-0 in the top of the third inning. Fuller Smith reached base on a leadoff single and advanced to second on a walk issued by Atwood to Jeremy Travis. A 6-4-3 double play against Logan Power would get the Gamecocks two outs but Smith would advance to third base. He would then score on a two-strike RBI single through the left side from Cody Overbeck.
The Rebels would add to the lead and go ahead 3-0 with single runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Stuyverson came through in the sixth with a RBI bas hit that scored Overbeck with two outs. Overbeck would add a RBI fielder’s choice in the seventh inning to give Ole Miss the three-run cushion.
Carolina attempted a rally in the bottom of the seventh inning loading the bases against Pomeranz and Bittle on three consecutive walks to Justin Hopper, Scott Wingo and Reese Havens. Whit Merrifield would lace a RBI single to right field off Bittle to score Hopper and bring the Gamecocks within two runs. The rally would end their though as Bittle worked his way out of the jam with a putout at home plate on a fielder’s choice from Justin Smoak followed by strikeouts to James Darnell and Phil Disher that ended the inning.
Ole Miss would then add single runs in the eighth and ninth innings. Jordan Henry contributed a RBI sacrifice fly with Cody Overbeck hitting a solo homer. South Carolina scored its final run in the ninth inning with Whit Merrifield crossing home plate on a RBI from Darnell.
