Baseball Falls 10-7 To South Carolina
June 7, 2002
Columbia, SC (www.hurricanesports.com) – – South Carolina (52-15) opened up a 10-run lead after three innings and held on to defeat the Miami Hurricanes (33-28), 10-7, in the first game of the Columbia Super Regional in front of 6,160 fans Friday night at Sarge Frye Field.
South Carolina batted around in the order and scored four runs in each of the first two innings as the Gamecocks raced out to an early 8-0 lead on the Hurricanes.
UM starter Kiki Bengochea (6-7) pitched the first inning and allowed the bases to get loaded in the second with no outs before he was replaced with Brandon Camardese. The Gamecocks immediately hit a grand slam off Camardese to grab the 8-0 lead, before he retired three of the next five batters to get out of the inning.
USC’s Brian Buscher knocked in the first run of the first inning, Steve Thomas from third, with a single to left field. Trey Dyson drove in the second run, Yaron Peters from second, with a single up the middle. Both Dyson and Buscher would then score on Landon Powell’s single to right field.
In the second, Buscher hit the grand slam to put the Gamecocks 8-0. Peters would extend the lead to 10-0 in the third with his two-run homer off Camardese to left field.
UM would score three runs on four hits and one error in the fourth to narrow the USC lead to 10-3. Kevin Howard broke up the shutout in the fourth with a solo home run off Bell to right field. Later in the inning, Paco Figueroa drove in Matt Dryer and Kevin Mannix with a double deep to right center. Dryer had reached on a single while Mannix drew a walk.
In the fifth, Javy Rodriguez and Danny Matienzo hit back-to-back solo home runs to bring the score within 10-5. USC starter Gary Bell would be replaced during the inning for Aaron Rawl (6-1) after going 4.2 innings with nine hits, five earned runs, two walks and two strikeouts.
Camardese would be replaced with T.J. Prunty to start the fifth inning after going 3.0 innings with five hits, three earned runs, three walks, one strikeout and one wild pitch.
The Hurricanes added another run, 10-6, in the seventh on Jim Burt’s RBI infield single to third base to score Rodriguez from third. Rodriguez led off with a single to left field and moved to second on consecutive ground outs from Matienzo and Howard.
Matienzo made it 10-7 in the ninth with a solo home run to left center, his second of the game.
The series continues on Saturday at 7 p.m. A Sunday game is scheduled at 1:30 p.m., if necessary.
Miami’s 2002 NCAA tournament appearance can be heard over the Internet at www.hurricanesports.com, or on the student voice of the Hurricanes, WVUM 90.5 FM. The flagship stations of the Miami Hurricanes, Sports Radio 560 WQAM and UM’s Spanish Broadcast Network will also be covering the action. WQAM will be broadcasting over WAXY 790 AM, while SBN will broadcast on 1660 WWFE.
Last weekend, Miami claimed the Gainesville Regional championship with a thrilling game two bottom of the ninth rally to defeat host and top-seed Florida, 8-7, to advance.
For more information on the NCAA Regionals, visit ncaa.org
For more information on University of Miami athletics log on to its newly designed website www.hurricanesports.com, the official site for all Hurricane news, tickets and apparel. For Hurricane ticket information call 1-800-GO CANES.
