USC-Miss.State Game 3 Blog - Sun. 3/23
posted by Scott Hood on Sunday, March 23, 2008
3:55 - USC scored 2 more runs here in the B8 on a single by Darnell (2 EBI today) and a double by Enders. It's 10-3 USC as WE GO TO THE NINTH. USC looking for its first sweep in 2 years. Craig Thomas now pitching for USC.
3:40 - There's another DP turned by USC. That's four on the day for the Gamecocks. MSU has actually outhit USC, 10-8, but those 4 DP's have hurt MSU. 5-3 for the third out. We go to the B8 with USC leading 8-3. 3 outs away from the sweep.
3:35 - Excellent leaping catch by the MSU LF to end the B7. We go to the T8 with USC still leading 8-3.
3:40 - Cooper sails through the T7, 1-2-3 after giving up the three runs in the T6. We go to the B7 with USC leading 8-3.
3:30 - USC down 1-2-3 in the B6. Cooper comes out for the 7th. USC leads 8-3.
3:22 - The pitcher's friend. 6-4-3 DP. That will kill a rally every time. 4-3 for third out. Cooper gives up the 3 runs on the HR but that's it. We go to the B6 with USC leading 8-3.
3:20 - There's a 3-run HR by MSU's Connor Powers. It's 8-3 here in the T6. No action in the USC bullpen. There goes Craig Thomas and Brandon Todd. This could be Cooper's last inning. There's another base hit to CF. 4 in the inning for MSU. They have 8 hits now.
3:15 - USC out in the B5. They had 2 runners on with 2 outs but Merrifield flied to deep CF. We go to the T6 with USC ahead, 8-0.
3:02 - 6-3 to end the T5. Cooper works out of trouble for the second time. We go to the B5 with USC leading, 8-0. New pitcher for MSO. Bowens is done.
3:00 - Cooper sailing along here in the T5. 10 in a row. 2 outs in T5. But there's a single. Now another single of the infield variety. MSU has runners at 1&2, 2 outs. There's a HBP. Bases loaded for MSU.
2:50 - Smoak up. 2 outs, Havens on 2B. Base hit to LF! Run scores. It's 8-0 USC. Smoak is 2-for-2 with 3 RBI. There's another hit by Enders. Single to RF. 8 hits for USC today. Bowens getting knocked around here. K on Crips. We go to the T5 with USC leading, 8-0.
2:45 - We're in the B4. Merrifield just picked up his 9th sac. bunt of the season. Havens at 2B, 1 out. Darnell up. He flied to deep LF. 2 outs.
2:40 - Another perfect inning for Cooper in the T4. 5-3, U-3, F-7. 8 in a row for him since a leadoff walk in the T2. We go to the B4 with USC leading 7-0. The sweep is looking more and more probable.
2:30 - Lail fouls out to 1B. 2 out. Disher up. Let's see if they throw him a fastball. 3-1. Here's the pitch. There it goes!! GRAND SLAM FOR DISHER. USC LEADS 7-0!. Bad pitch by Bowens. He grooved a fastball and Disher hammered it.
2:25 - USC has runners at 1&2 in B3 with 1 pout. Crisp up. He has a 12-game hitting streak on the line today. Base hit to CF! 13-game streak. Bases loaded for Lail, who came in hitting .315 today.
2:20 - MSU down 1-2-3 in T3. We go to the B3 with USC leading 3-0.
2:10 - USC out in the B2. Disher led off the with a BB, but nothing after that. We go to the T3 with USC leading 3-0.
2:00 - Another DP for USC ends the T2. 1-6-3. That's 2 in the first two innings. We go to the B2 with USC leading 3-0. Disher, Mack, Havens due.
1:57 - End of the 1st. USC leads 3-0. Smoak has 21 RBI on the season. He's the third USC batter to pass the 20-RBI mark. Havens has 29 RBI, while Darnell has 26.
1:55 - There's a single by Darnell. Run scores. It's 1-0 USC in B1. That didn't take long. So much for Bowen throwing a no-hitter this week, which he almost did last Sunday against Ole Miss. 3-2 on Smoak. He rips it down the RF line. Fair ball! 2 runs score. Merrifield and Darnell both cross the plate. It's 3-0 USC. They're hammering Bowen now. Pitching coach is out. What a difference a week makes for Bowen.
1:45 - Great start for USC in the B1. Havens doubles (his 2nd of the season) and Merrifield bunts for a single. Runners on the corners, 0 outs.
1:40 - There's a 6-4-3 DP! Great scoop by Smoak at 1B. Somehow, Cooper escapes the jam without MSU scoring. MSU must be thinking what they have to do to score runs in this series. They have just 2 runs inthe first 2 games. We go to the B1, 0-0.
1:30 - We're underway at SFF. Leadoff batter singles to CF. There's another single. Cooper is in a jame already. Runners at 1&3, 0 outs in 1st. Stolen base. Both runners now in scoring position. Let's see if Cooper can work out of trouble. There's a P-6. Good job there. 1 out.
12:40 - We're about 50 minutes from the first pitch. Here is USC's starting lineup with current numbers:
Havens - 6 (.375-5-29)
Merrifield - 8 (.328-3-11)
Darnell - 5 (.325-5-26)
Smoak - 3 (.342-5-19)
Enders - 2 (.321-4-17)
Crisp - 4 (.373-0-8)
Lail - 9 (.315-2-13)
Disher - DH (.239-5-15)
Mack - 7 (.357-2-6)
Cooper - P
Another start for Crisp at 2B. I wonder what's happened to Scott Wingo. Crisp is going to play somewhere considering he's batting .373. Tanner will always find a spot for a guy who can hit.
11:55 - Happy Easter to everyone. We're here for Sunday's USC-Miss. State game at Sarge Frye Field. It's Game 3 of a three-game series. The good news for Gamcock fans is that USC is going for the sweep today. If USC wins, it will mark the first SEC series sweep for USC in two years. The last sweep came against LSU in Baton Rouge in late March, 2006. That series is best remembered as the one in which Arik Hempy suffered his arm injury that led to Tommy John surgery. He came back to pitch last year before departing for the pros. We'll see if Blake Cooper can continue the pitching staff's remarkable run this week. USC has allowed only three runs in three games this week. One per game. 13-1 over COC, 9-1 over MSU on Friday night and 4-1 Sat. USC can claim a share of first place in the SEC East with a win today and losses by Florida and Georgia. In fact, it appears there's a scenario in which all 6 teams could end Sunday's play with 4-2 conference marks. Cooper is 2-2 with a 3.43 ERA in 21.0 IP this season. He's allowed 22 hits and 13 runs with 12 strikeouts and 2 walks. So, he's had good control.
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4:05 - Sliding catch by Lail in foul territory. 1 out. K. 2 outs. K. IT's OVER. USC WINS 10-3. First series sweep since 2006 over LSU.
3:55 - USC scored 2 more runs here in the B8 on a single by Darnell (2 EBI today) and a double by Enders. It's 10-3 USC as WE GO TO THE NINTH. USC looking for its first sweep in 2 years. Craig Thomas now pitching for USC.
3:40 - There's another DP turned by USC. That's four on the day for the Gamecocks. MSU has actually outhit USC, 10-8, but those 4 DP's have hurt MSU. 5-3 for the third out. We go to the B8 with USC leading 8-3. 3 outs away from the sweep.
3:35 - Excellent leaping catch by the MSU LF to end the B7. We go to the T8 with USC still leading 8-3.
3:40 - Cooper sails through the T7, 1-2-3 after giving up the three runs in the T6. We go to the B7 with USC leading 8-3.
3:30 - USC down 1-2-3 in the B6. Cooper comes out for the 7th. USC leads 8-3.
3:22 - The pitcher's friend. 6-4-3 DP. That will kill a rally every time. 4-3 for third out. Cooper gives up the 3 runs on the HR but that's it. We go to the B6 with USC leading 8-3.
3:20 - There's a 3-run HR by MSU's Connor Powers. It's 8-3 here in the T6. No action in the USC bullpen. There goes Craig Thomas and Brandon Todd. This could be Cooper's last inning. There's another base hit to CF. 4 in the inning for MSU. They have 8 hits now.
3:15 - USC out in the B5. They had 2 runners on with 2 outs but Merrifield flied to deep CF. We go to the T6 with USC ahead, 8-0.
3:02 - 6-3 to end the T5. Cooper works out of trouble for the second time. We go to the B5 with USC leading, 8-0. New pitcher for MSO. Bowens is done.
3:00 - Cooper sailing along here in the T5. 10 in a row. 2 outs in T5. But there's a single. Now another single of the infield variety. MSU has runners at 1&2, 2 outs. There's a HBP. Bases loaded for MSU.
2:50 - Smoak up. 2 outs, Havens on 2B. Base hit to LF! Run scores. It's 8-0 USC. Smoak is 2-for-2 with 3 RBI. There's another hit by Enders. Single to RF. 8 hits for USC today. Bowens getting knocked around here. K on Crips. We go to the T5 with USC leading, 8-0.
2:45 - We're in the B4. Merrifield just picked up his 9th sac. bunt of the season. Havens at 2B, 1 out. Darnell up. He flied to deep LF. 2 outs.
2:40 - Another perfect inning for Cooper in the T4. 5-3, U-3, F-7. 8 in a row for him since a leadoff walk in the T2. We go to the B4 with USC leading 7-0. The sweep is looking more and more probable.
2:30 - Lail fouls out to 1B. 2 out. Disher up. Let's see if they throw him a fastball. 3-1. Here's the pitch. There it goes!! GRAND SLAM FOR DISHER. USC LEADS 7-0!. Bad pitch by Bowens. He grooved a fastball and Disher hammered it.
2:25 - USC has runners at 1&2 in B3 with 1 pout. Crisp up. He has a 12-game hitting streak on the line today. Base hit to CF! 13-game streak. Bases loaded for Lail, who came in hitting .315 today.
2:20 - MSU down 1-2-3 in T3. We go to the B3 with USC leading 3-0.
2:10 - USC out in the B2. Disher led off the with a BB, but nothing after that. We go to the T3 with USC leading 3-0.
2:00 - Another DP for USC ends the T2. 1-6-3. That's 2 in the first two innings. We go to the B2 with USC leading 3-0. Disher, Mack, Havens due.
1:57 - End of the 1st. USC leads 3-0. Smoak has 21 RBI on the season. He's the third USC batter to pass the 20-RBI mark. Havens has 29 RBI, while Darnell has 26.
1:55 - There's a single by Darnell. Run scores. It's 1-0 USC in B1. That didn't take long. So much for Bowen throwing a no-hitter this week, which he almost did last Sunday against Ole Miss. 3-2 on Smoak. He rips it down the RF line. Fair ball! 2 runs score. Merrifield and Darnell both cross the plate. It's 3-0 USC. They're hammering Bowen now. Pitching coach is out. What a difference a week makes for Bowen.
1:45 - Great start for USC in the B1. Havens doubles (his 2nd of the season) and Merrifield bunts for a single. Runners on the corners, 0 outs.
1:40 - There's a 6-4-3 DP! Great scoop by Smoak at 1B. Somehow, Cooper escapes the jam without MSU scoring. MSU must be thinking what they have to do to score runs in this series. They have just 2 runs inthe first 2 games. We go to the B1, 0-0.
1:30 - We're underway at SFF. Leadoff batter singles to CF. There's another single. Cooper is in a jame already. Runners at 1&3, 0 outs in 1st. Stolen base. Both runners now in scoring position. Let's see if Cooper can work out of trouble. There's a P-6. Good job there. 1 out.
12:40 - We're about 50 minutes from the first pitch. Here is USC's starting lineup with current numbers:
Havens - 6 (.375-5-29)
Merrifield - 8 (.328-3-11)
Darnell - 5 (.325-5-26)
Smoak - 3 (.342-5-19)
Enders - 2 (.321-4-17)
Crisp - 4 (.373-0-8)
Lail - 9 (.315-2-13)
Disher - DH (.239-5-15)
Mack - 7 (.357-2-6)
Cooper - P
Another start for Crisp at 2B. I wonder what's happened to Scott Wingo. Crisp is going to play somewhere considering he's batting .373. Tanner will always find a spot for a guy who can hit.
11:55 - Happy Easter to everyone. We're here for Sunday's USC-Miss. State game at Sarge Frye Field. It's Game 3 of a three-game series. The good news for Gamcock fans is that USC is going for the sweep today. If USC wins, it will mark the first SEC series sweep for USC in two years. The last sweep came against LSU in Baton Rouge in late March, 2006. That series is best remembered as the one in which Arik Hempy suffered his arm injury that led to Tommy John surgery. He came back to pitch last year before departing for the pros. We'll see if Blake Cooper can continue the pitching staff's remarkable run this week. USC has allowed only three runs in three games this week. One per game. 13-1 over COC, 9-1 over MSU on Friday night and 4-1 Sat. USC can claim a share of first place in the SEC East with a win today and losses by Florida and Georgia. In fact, it appears there's a scenario in which all 6 teams could end Sunday's play with 4-2 conference marks. Cooper is 2-2 with a 3.43 ERA in 21.0 IP this season. He's allowed 22 hits and 13 runs with 12 strikeouts and 2 walks. So, he's had good control.
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Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.