April 20, 2008
Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina sophomore right-hander Blake Cooper threw a complete game six-hitter and behind four runs in the first two innings defeated Ole Miss 4-1 on Sunday afternoon in the rubber game of a three-game SEC baseball series. Carolina improves to 29-11 and 11-7 in the SEC while Ole Miss drops to 25-15 and 10-8 in the conference. The Gamecocks return to action on Tuesday evening with a non-conference tilt vs. Furman, to be played at West End Field in Greenville, S.C. First pitch is set for 7 pm.
Sunday’s complete game was the first of Cooper’s career and the first complete game win by a Gamecock pitcher since Wynn Pelzer’s CG in a win over Evansville to capture the 2006 NCAA Regional in Charlottesville, Va. Cooper allowed just one run on six hits while striking out two and walking two to pick up the victory. He is 5-3 on the year. Ole Miss starting pitcher Cody Satterwhite went six-plus innings and allowed four runs on eight hits to suffer the loss. He is 3-3 this year. Satterwhite struck out four and walked five in the contest.
Carolina struck early against Satterwhite with three runs in the first inning against the junior right-hander. Reese Havens led off with walk followed by a bunt single from Whit Merrifield. With runners on the corners and no outs, Justin Smoak drove a RBI single through the right side to put Carolina on top by a run. The base hit extended Smoak’s hitting streak to 14 games. After a walk to James Darnell, the Gamecocks increased their lead to 3-0 on a two-run single from Phil Disher to left field. South Carolina would score the fourth run of the game in the second inning as Reese Havens would score on a double play ball.
Cooper recovered after a tough first inning that saw him throw 31 pitches but work his way out of a bases loaded jam. Cooper would face no more than four hitters per inning up until the ninth inning and set down 12 consecutive Ole Miss batters from the third to the beginning of the seventh inning on his way to the complete game. The only run Ole Miss could put on the scoreboard was in the top of the ninth when Cody Overbeck drilled a solo homer.
South Carolina finished with a 9-6 advantage in hits. Merrifield, Smoak and Disher all had two hits for the Gamecocks. Zach Miller was 2-for-4 to lead Ole Miss.
The home team continues to have success in the series between Ole Miss and South Carolina. Dating back to 1999, the home team has won every series between the two schools. South Carolina has won six straight series in Columbia vs. the Rebels dating back to the 1997 season (1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008). Carolina leads the all-time series 25-16 vs. Ole Miss.
