March 31, 2009
Charleston, S.C. – The Citadel scored four runs in both the third and sixth innings and behind a six-plus inning effort by left-handed pitcher Matt Talley defeated South Carolina 12-5 on Tuesday evening at Joe Riley Park in non-conference college baseball action. The Citadel improves to 15-9 on the year while the loss drops Carolina to 18-8 for the season. South Carolina returns to action at home on Wednesday night hosting Furman with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. at Carolina Stadium.
Talley was effective on the mound for the Bulldogs as he limited Carolina to three runs, two earned, on six hits while walking only four and striking out five. He improves to 4-0 on the year. Reliever Drew Mahaffey secured a save with three innings of work out of the pen. He did not allow a Carolina batter to reach base and struck out six batters to pick up his fourth save of the season. South Carolina starter Matt Price lasted only 2.2 innings and allowed four runs on three hits with two strikeouts, two walks and two hit batters. He is 1-1 on the year.
South Carolina jumped ahead 1-0 in the top of the third inning with an unearned run against Talley. Justin Dalles reached base on a fielding error by third baseman David Greene to start off the inning. He would advance to third base on a one-out double to right field by Bobby Haney. Dalles would score the Gamecocks’ first run on Jackie Bradley, Jr. RBI infield single. The base hit extended Bradley, Jr.’s hitting streak to 10 games. Talley did a little damage control though as he limited Carolina to one run despite loading the bases. Talley got out of the jam with a 5-3 inning ending double play against Nick Ebert to keep within a run of Carolina.
Price ran into trouble in the third inning as he struggled with his control leading The Citadel to four runs. Johnny Dangerfield was hit by a pitch to start the frame, Nick Orvin walked and Bryan Altman singled to load the bases. The Bulldogs would score their first run on a hit by pitch against Sonny Meade. The Bulldogs then scored a pair of runs on a wild play as a high chopper to first base by Richard Jones was fielded cleanly by first baseman Nick Ebert and thrown to Price, who was covering first base. The Gamecocks did get the out but on the play Price collided with Jones, which allowed Altman to score all the way from second base to home. He just beat a throw to the plate to score The Citadel’s third run of the inning. David Greene put The Citadel ahead 4-1 then on a sacrifice fly to center field.
South Carolina got a run back in the fifth inning as Scott Wingo led off with a solo home run to right field, his second homer of the year. Wingo launched a 3-2 pitch from Talley over the right field wall to cut the Carolina deficit to two runs. The Citadel extended it back to three runs in the fifth inning with an unearned run off of reliever Parker Bangs. Altman led off with a walk and Jones reached first base on a fielding error off a grounder to Bangs. With two outs and runners on first and second, Greene knocked a RBI single to left field scoring Altman and giving The Citadel a 5-2 lead.
Things came unglued for Carolina in the sixth inning as the Bulldogs put four more runs on the scoreboard. Sid Fallaw got things started with a single. Pinch runner Brian Shubsda took advantage of a pair of wild pitches to advance to third base. After a walk to Nick Orvin and an intentional walk to Bryan Altman, Shubsda would score on a RBI fielder’s choice. With two outs, the Citadel would score three more runs as Richard Jones and Chris McGuiness each tallied RBI base hits with Jones also scoring on a wild pitch issued by reliever Grimes Medlin.
South Carolina made an effort to rally against the Bulldogs scoring three runs in the top of the seventh inning. Five consecutive batters reached base to help Carolina cut the deficit to 9-5. Jackie Bradley, Jr. singled, Whit Merrifield walked and both scored on a RBI double by Nick Ebert. A RBI single by DeAngelo Mack scored Ebert with Andrew Crisp doubling to give the Gamecocks runners on second and third with no outs. The rally ended their though as Citadel reliever Drew Mahaffey came into the game and stymied the Gamecocks with strikeouts against pinch hitter Michael Roth and Justin Dalles and a pop up against Scott Wingo to end the inning and the Carolina threat.
The Citadel ended the scoring in the bottom of the eighth inning as Altman launched a solo homer to left field. He went 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored for the night. McGuiness added a RBI double with William Ladd also singling home a run as the Bulldogs built a seven-run cushion for the ninth inning.
The Citadel finished with 10 hits with Carolina ending the evening with nine in the game. McGuiness and Greene each had two hits along with Altman’s three on the night to lead The Citadel. Bradley, Jr. went 3-for-5 to lead Carolina at the plate. Mack also had two hits for the Gamecocks.
