Feb. 20, 2010
| Coach Tanner |
Columbia, S.C. – Jeffery Jones and Christian Walker both homered for the second consecutive day with Walker also driving in five runs as Carolina defeated Duquesne 13-3 on Saturday afternoon at Carolina Stadium. The Gamecocks improve to 2-0 on the year while Duquesne falls to 0-2 for the season. The two teams close out the series on Sunday afternoon with first pitch at 1:30 p.m. The game can be heard on the Gamecock Radio Network including 107.5 FM with a live video broadcast and live Gametracker stats available at GamecocksOnline.com.
Walker was strong at the plate with a 4-for-5 day as well as three runs scored and five RBI. Jones finished 2-for-4 with four RBI as well. Both players have accounted for five home runs in the first two games of the season. Robert Beary was also 3-for-4 and Whit Merrifield scored three runs in the victory. South Carolina had a 15-6 edge in hits on the afternoon. Derrik Zeroski went 2-for-4 with two runs scored to lead Duquesne.
In a predetermined split, Gamecock right-hander Sam Dyson hurled 3.2 hitless innings and struck out six batters while walking just one batter to earn the win. He is now 1-0 on the year. Dyson combined with five other Gamecock pitchers to strike out 14 batters on the afternoon. The South Carolina pitchers have struck out 30 batters in two games played vs. the Dukes. Duquesne starter Grant Gillespie lasted only three innings and allowed six runs on eight hits to suffer the loss.
Carolina broke ahead 3-0 in the bottom of the first inning. Evan Marzilli led off with a single followed by a walk to Merrifield. Both would then score as Walker smacked a two-run double to right center. The double was the first of the season for the Gamecocks. With one out and Walker on third base, the Gamecocks took a three-run advantage on Robert Beary’s RBI single up the middle.
Carolina added a single run in the second inning with a Scott Wingo RBI base hit scoring Kyle Enders. In the third inning, South Carolina scored two more runs on back-to-back homers courtesy of Walker and Jones. Jones would drive in a pair more in the bottom of the fourth inning as a two-run double to left center scored Merrifield and Walker.
Duquesne looked to mount a comeback scoring a run in the sixth inning along with two more in the seventh inning. Rick Devereaux had a RBI ground out in the sixth with Andrew Heck driving in two on a two-out RBI single in the seventh inning.
With an 8-3 lead, South Carolina struck back quickly in the bottom of the seventh scoring five runs to gain a 10-run cushion. Bobby Haney tallied a RBI double, Christian Walker collected a two-run single and Jones had a RBI sacrifice fly. One run would score off a wild pitch.
