May 3, 2008
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Columbia, S.C. – Junior left-hander Will Atwood hurled his first career complete game and James Darnell drove in four runs on the afternoon including a two-run game-winning single in the seventh inning as South Carolina rallied to defeat Florida 6-5 in game two of a three-game SEC baseball series at Sarge Frye Field. The win snaps a four-game losing streak for the Gamecocks and improves the squad’s record to 32-15 and 12-11 in the SEC. The loss drops Florida to 28-17 and 13-10 in the conference. The rubber game of the series is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 1:30 pm and will be televised live on CSS-TV and can also be heard on the Gamecock Radio Network.
Atwood faced the minimum in his final five innings of work with outs recorded on the final 15 batters of the game. He allowed five runs on 11 hits and struck out seven batters to one walk. His strikeout total tied a career-high for the third time. He is now 5-2 on the year. Florida reliever Josh Edmondson suffered the loss and is 3-3 this season. He allowed two runs on four hits in 2.2 innings with two strikeouts and two walks.
With the Gamecocks trailing 5-3 entering the fifth inning, Atwood went to work as he began his stretch of five consecutive innings of limiting the Gators from reaching base. Carolina would get a run back in the bottom of the fifth as Justin Smoak’s one-out RBI double scored Whit Merrifield cutting the Gator lead to one run. South Carolina then took the lead in the seventh inning with a pair of runs against Edmondson. Reese Havens would draw a one-out walk followed by a double by Merrifield down the left field line to give Carolina runners on second and third base. The Gators then elected to intentionally walk Smoak to set up the heroics for Darnell. On Edmondson’s 1-1 pitch, Darnell laced a single through the left side that scored Havens and Merrifield to give South Carolina the 6-5 lead.
Atwood would set the Florida batters down in the eighth inning with Gamecock center fielder Whit Merrifield making a key play with one as Jon Townsend tried to stretch a single into a double. On the play, Merrifield spun in right center and threw a laser to the bag at second base with Havens extending the tag and keeping the Gators from having the potential tying run in scoring position. Atwood would then retire the final four hitters of the game including a pair of strikeouts in the eighth inning and a pop up in foul territory near the third base dugout that was corralled by Darnell to end the game.
Carolina out-hit Florida 13-11 with Darnell’s three hits and four RBI leading the way for USC. Whit Merrifield also tallied three hits with three runs scored and Justin Smoak was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI. Kyle Enders added two hits as well. Smoak also recorded his 51st career double to tie him for fifth on the all-time list and now has 228 career hits to put him at 10th at the all-time list.
Florida leadoff hitter Avery Barnes went 3-for-5 to lead the Gators. Florida would take a two-run lead in the top of the second inning on the back of a two-rum homer from Riley Cooper. A two-out single from Dustin Bamberg set the stage for Cooper who knocked a 3-1 pitch from Atwood over the right centerfield wall. It marked Cooper’s first homer of the year. Carolina cut the deficit to a run in the bottom half though as Darnell drilled a 3-1 pitch from Locke to left field for a solo home run, Darnell’s 14th round tripper of the year.
After a Gator run in the top of the third, South Carolina tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the third as Smoak and Darnell collected consecutive two-out RBI base hits. Florida took the 5-3 in the fourth inning on two-out RBIs from Josh Adams and Cole Figueroa.
