Greenville, N.C. - All nine South Carolina position starters recorded at least one hit andthe Gamecocks scored eight runs in the middle innings on the way to an11-3 victory over George Mason in the opening game of the 2009 NCAAGreenville Regional on Friday afternoon at Clark-LeClair Stadium. Parker Bangs, Jackie Bradley, Jr. and Nick Ebert all homered in the Gamecock victory and starting pitcher Sam Dysonpicked up his ninth win of the season with seven innings of work forCarolina.
The Gamecocks are now 39-21 on the year while the loss dropsGeorge Mason to 42-13 for the season. South Carolina returns to actionon Saturday night vs. East Carolina. First pitch is tentatively set for6 p.m. The game can be heard on the Gamecock Radio Network and atGamecocksOnline.com. East Carolina defeated Binghamton 11-7 on Saturdaymorning.
South Carolina pounded out 17 hits on its way to the victory. Bangs, Bradley and Bobby Haney tallied three hits apiece to lead Carolina. Bangs and Haney both tied career-highs on the afternoon in hits. Justin Dalles and Whit Merrifield also tallied a pair of hits apiece for the Gamecocks. George Mason's leading hitter was Mark Hill, who went 2-for-4.
Sam Dysonwent seven innings and allowed three runs on seven hits to improve to9-4 on the year. He struck out five and walked four. George Masonstarting pitcher Mike Modica went five innings and allowed six runs,four earned, on 10 hits with three walks and two strikeouts to sufferthe loss. He is now 11-2 on the year.
George Mason broke ahead 1-0 in the top of the first inning.Chris Henderson drew a one-out walk and after a Scott Krieger singlewould score on Justin Bour's RBI double down the left field line.However, that would be the only run for Mason in the inning as Dysongot out of a bases loaded jam with a 6-3 inning ending ground outdouble play off the bat of Shane Davis.
"I thought the first inning was huge but then (Dyson) settleddown and gave us some quality innings," said South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner. "He battled for us. He hasn't really pitched well on the road but he battled for us today."
Carolina would get to Modica in the bottom of the fourth inning battingaround to score four runs against the Patriots. Bradley led off with asingle and with one out advanced to second base on a fielding error byshortstop Brent Weiss. On the play, Weiss threw wide of second base inan attempt to nab Bradley with the ball going into right field allowingBradley to score and Andrew Crispadvancing to second base. On the scoreboard, Carolina took the leadwith the next batter as Bangs launched a two-run homer to right field.Bangs knocked the 2-1 pitch from Modica for his fifth home run of theseason. Carolina wasn't done there though as Haney double and scored ona two-out RBI single from Merrifield to give Carolina a 4-1 lead.
The lead extended to 6-1 in the fifth inning as Carolina loadedthe bases with Merrifield again coming through in the clutch with atwo-out RBI single up the middle to score Justin Dallesand Bangs. South Carolina added two more in the top of the seventhinning as Bradley knocked a two-run homer to right field for his 10thhome run of the season. Bradley is now the sixth Gamecock player thisyear to have reached double digit home runs.
"I was really proud of our guys for tacking on some runs in themiddle innings," said
Tanner. "We had some two out runs. Those thingsend up being big for you during the course of the weekend."
Dyson set down George Mason and did not allow a run from thesecond-sixth as Carolina built a seven-run lead. The Patriots wouldfinally get back on the scoreboard in the seventh inning with two runsas Henderson drove in a pair with a double. With runners on first andsecond base and two outs, Dyson ended the threat with a strikeout onRyan Soares in a 14-pitch at bat to close out the frame.
Nick Ebertput Carolina back out in front by five in the bottom of the seventhinning with a solo home run, his 23th of the year. Ebert's blast was toleft center and ties him for the second highest total in school historywith Justin Smoak (2008) and Joe Datin (1985).
With a pair of runners on first and second and a 1-2 count, Andrew Crisp'sat-bat in the bottom of the seventh was delayed as lightning and rainentered the Greenville area. After a one hour and 18 minute delay,Crisp returned to the plate against George Mason reliever Ryan Breckoand grooved the next pitch he saw for a double to left center scoringboth Bradley and Dalles and giving the Gamecocks the 11-3 edge.
Carolina reliever Curtis Johnson hurled two innings of relief to close out the victory. The Gamecocks are set to start junior RHP Blake Cooper on Saturday.
