USC-Vanderbilt Game 2 Blog - Sat. 3/15
posted by Scott Hood on Saturday, March 15, 2008
8:10 - WE GO TO THE TOP OF THE NINTH. USC LEADS 16-6. USC out. We go the bottom of the 9th with USC still leading 16-6.
8:00 - We're in the bottom of the 8th, VU has scored a run off Hopper. It's 16-6 USC. The two teams have combined for 29 hits. There are 2 outs. Here comes Tanner for a chat with the Fr.
7:50 - Hopper faces one batter and strikes him out. We go to the T8 with USC leading 16-5. USC hasn't score since the 5th.
7:45 - We're in the B7 and VU has added 2 runs to make it a 16-5 game. Hopper has replaced Atwood on the mound. There are 2 out and a runner on second. This is Hopper's 3rd appearance as a pitcher.
7:25 - VU scores a run in the B6 on a single. We go to the T7 with USC leading, 16-3. Wingo, Havens, Merrifield due.
7:15 - USC down in the T6. We go to the B6 with USC leading 16-2.
7:10 - VU scores a run in the B5. It's 16-2. We'll see how long Atwood goes now that he's pitched the minimum for a win. Tanner may try to pitchhim 7 or 8 innings to save the bullpen for Sunday's rubber game. We go to the T6.
6:55 - USC keeps bashing the ball here in the T5. Wingo singled and went to 2B on a WP. He scored on a single by Havens, giving him 24 RBI. It's 14-1 USC. Merrifield singled into LF. USC now has 16 hits. Smoak 4-3. Both runners move up a base for Enders. He drives one to deep LF. It's off the wall! 2 runners score. It's 16-1! Enders tries for third. He's called out! Wow. That's a call that's made in a 16-1 game. Awful. Typical SEC.
6:50 - Atwood K's the side in the B4 and now has a career-high 7 K's. We go to the T5 with USC leading 13-1. USC has 13 hits to two for Vandy.
6:40 - The T4 ends with USC holding a 13-1 lead. USC has scored 5 in the 1st, 5 in the 3rd and 3 in the 4th. After last night, it's a welcome sight. Now Atwood needs to pitch this one through and USC will even up the series. But this game is far from ver. Arkansas blew a big lead against UGA today. I'm sure Tanner has told the players to keep playing hard.
6:37 - Singles by Merrifield and Smoak start the T4. Merrifield goes to third. Run scores on 6-4 FC by Enders. Darnell up. There'a drive to lF. It clears the tall wall in LF! 2-run HR. USC LEADS 13-1. Second HR of the year for Darnell. He's starting to find his stroke.
6:35 - Atwood gets through the B3 with just a 2-out walk. We go to the T4 with USC leading 10-1.
6:25 - USC is finally out in the T3. Gamecocks lead 10-1. The bats have certainly showed up today. Now we need some pitching from Atwood to take home the win and force a rubber game on Sunday.
6:20 - DISHER CRUSHES ONE TO DEEP LF. 2-RUN HR. USC LEADS 10-1. That could rival the HR he hit at Virginia a couple of years ago during the Regional.
6;15 - Crisp lines one down the RF line. Fair ball! 2 runs will score. Enders and Darnell both cruise into home plate. USC leads 8-1. Pitching change for VU. Crisp has 3 RBI today. USC is looking good today!
6:10 - Consecutive singles by Smoak and Enders to open the 3rd. Runners at 1&2, 0 outs. Darnell up, He may be bunting here. Corners are in. He swings away. Foul. There's a base hit to CF! Smoak races around third, He scores. 6-1 USC.
6:05 - Atwood sets down VU 1-2-3 in the B2. We head to the third inning with USC ahead, 5-1.
6:00 - 1-2-3 for USC in the T2. We go to the B2 with USC leading 5-1.
5:55 - The umps rule that Vandy should be credited with 1 run. So it's 5-1 USC after 1 Inn. Wingo P-6 to open the T2. Havens 1-3. 2 pitches, 2 outs.
5:50 - Vandy ends up scoring 2 runs on a crazy play to end the B1. With the bases loaded, Wingo fielded a chopper and threw to first for the out. The runner on first was tagged out on a rundown. But before that could happen, the runners on second and third mamaged to cross the plate. Or, that's what we think happened. The umprires are talking to Tim Corbin right now. They could be taking one run off the board. We'll see.
5:45 - Two singles open the VU 1st. Atwood had a chance for a DP but the ball deflected off his glove. Tunners at 1&2. Here comes Flaherty, Four-pitch walk. Bases loaded for VU.
5:35 - Stolen base by Crisp. Base hit to LF by Disher! 2 runs score. The throw comes home. Disher tries for second. He's out. That's it. Great first inning for USC. Gamecocks lead 5-0 with Vandy coming up.
5:32 - Bloop single to CF by Crisp. Enders scores. It's 3-0 USC. Disher up. Here comes the Vandy coach. Lail to 3rd. Runners on the corners.
5:30 Enders hit a chopper to SS but he throws it past the 2B trying for the force. E6.Runners on 1&2, 1 out. Darnell F-8. 2 outs. There's a bloop single into LCF by Lail. Smoak scores. Enders to 3B. Lail RBI. It's 2-0 USC.
5:25 - Base hit for Smoak to center. Havens rounds third. He scores. USC leads 1-0 here in the top of the first. USC has jumped off Christiani quickly.
5:20 - We're underway here in Nashville. Havens takes the second pitch and hit it up the middle for a base hit. A new hitting streak begins after his 13-game HS ended last night. Merrifield sacrifices himto second. Smoak up.
5:05 - It looks like we're almost ready for baseball in Nashville. The field has been prepared. There is a sparse crowd on hand.
4:40 - The skies are clearing here in Nashville. They're telling us that the estimated time of the first pitch will be at 5:15 p.m. ET. There's still plenty of work to do on the field. The tarp has been removed. It's still overcast overhead, though I've see patches of blue.
4 P.M. - We're here in Nashville for Saturday's USC-Vanderbilt baseball gane. However, Mother Nature isn't cooperating right now. The tentative start time is 4:30 p.m. E.T. The game was supposed to start at 3 p.m. However, that looks questionable at best. It's still raining fairly hard and puddles are building in the outfield.
If we do get started, here is USC's tentative starting lineup:
Havens - 6
Merrifield - 8
Smoak - 3
Enders - 2
Darnell - 5
Lail - 9
Crisp - 7
Disher - DH
Wingo - 4
Atwood - P
- Permalink, Discuss, Blog Home
8:25 - VU scores a run. P-6 ends it. USC WINS 16-7.
8:10 - WE GO TO THE TOP OF THE NINTH. USC LEADS 16-6. USC out. We go the bottom of the 9th with USC still leading 16-6.
8:00 - We're in the bottom of the 8th, VU has scored a run off Hopper. It's 16-6 USC. The two teams have combined for 29 hits. There are 2 outs. Here comes Tanner for a chat with the Fr.
7:50 - Hopper faces one batter and strikes him out. We go to the T8 with USC leading 16-5. USC hasn't score since the 5th.
7:45 - We're in the B7 and VU has added 2 runs to make it a 16-5 game. Hopper has replaced Atwood on the mound. There are 2 out and a runner on second. This is Hopper's 3rd appearance as a pitcher.
7:25 - VU scores a run in the B6 on a single. We go to the T7 with USC leading, 16-3. Wingo, Havens, Merrifield due.
7:15 - USC down in the T6. We go to the B6 with USC leading 16-2.
7:10 - VU scores a run in the B5. It's 16-2. We'll see how long Atwood goes now that he's pitched the minimum for a win. Tanner may try to pitchhim 7 or 8 innings to save the bullpen for Sunday's rubber game. We go to the T6.
6:55 - USC keeps bashing the ball here in the T5. Wingo singled and went to 2B on a WP. He scored on a single by Havens, giving him 24 RBI. It's 14-1 USC. Merrifield singled into LF. USC now has 16 hits. Smoak 4-3. Both runners move up a base for Enders. He drives one to deep LF. It's off the wall! 2 runners score. It's 16-1! Enders tries for third. He's called out! Wow. That's a call that's made in a 16-1 game. Awful. Typical SEC.
6:50 - Atwood K's the side in the B4 and now has a career-high 7 K's. We go to the T5 with USC leading 13-1. USC has 13 hits to two for Vandy.
6:40 - The T4 ends with USC holding a 13-1 lead. USC has scored 5 in the 1st, 5 in the 3rd and 3 in the 4th. After last night, it's a welcome sight. Now Atwood needs to pitch this one through and USC will even up the series. But this game is far from ver. Arkansas blew a big lead against UGA today. I'm sure Tanner has told the players to keep playing hard.
6:37 - Singles by Merrifield and Smoak start the T4. Merrifield goes to third. Run scores on 6-4 FC by Enders. Darnell up. There'a drive to lF. It clears the tall wall in LF! 2-run HR. USC LEADS 13-1. Second HR of the year for Darnell. He's starting to find his stroke.
6:35 - Atwood gets through the B3 with just a 2-out walk. We go to the T4 with USC leading 10-1.
6:25 - USC is finally out in the T3. Gamecocks lead 10-1. The bats have certainly showed up today. Now we need some pitching from Atwood to take home the win and force a rubber game on Sunday.
6:20 - DISHER CRUSHES ONE TO DEEP LF. 2-RUN HR. USC LEADS 10-1. That could rival the HR he hit at Virginia a couple of years ago during the Regional.
6;15 - Crisp lines one down the RF line. Fair ball! 2 runs will score. Enders and Darnell both cruise into home plate. USC leads 8-1. Pitching change for VU. Crisp has 3 RBI today. USC is looking good today!
6:10 - Consecutive singles by Smoak and Enders to open the 3rd. Runners at 1&2, 0 outs. Darnell up, He may be bunting here. Corners are in. He swings away. Foul. There's a base hit to CF! Smoak races around third, He scores. 6-1 USC.
6:05 - Atwood sets down VU 1-2-3 in the B2. We head to the third inning with USC ahead, 5-1.
6:00 - 1-2-3 for USC in the T2. We go to the B2 with USC leading 5-1.
5:55 - The umps rule that Vandy should be credited with 1 run. So it's 5-1 USC after 1 Inn. Wingo P-6 to open the T2. Havens 1-3. 2 pitches, 2 outs.
5:50 - Vandy ends up scoring 2 runs on a crazy play to end the B1. With the bases loaded, Wingo fielded a chopper and threw to first for the out. The runner on first was tagged out on a rundown. But before that could happen, the runners on second and third mamaged to cross the plate. Or, that's what we think happened. The umprires are talking to Tim Corbin right now. They could be taking one run off the board. We'll see.
5:45 - Two singles open the VU 1st. Atwood had a chance for a DP but the ball deflected off his glove. Tunners at 1&2. Here comes Flaherty, Four-pitch walk. Bases loaded for VU.
5:35 - Stolen base by Crisp. Base hit to LF by Disher! 2 runs score. The throw comes home. Disher tries for second. He's out. That's it. Great first inning for USC. Gamecocks lead 5-0 with Vandy coming up.
5:32 - Bloop single to CF by Crisp. Enders scores. It's 3-0 USC. Disher up. Here comes the Vandy coach. Lail to 3rd. Runners on the corners.
5:30 Enders hit a chopper to SS but he throws it past the 2B trying for the force. E6.Runners on 1&2, 1 out. Darnell F-8. 2 outs. There's a bloop single into LCF by Lail. Smoak scores. Enders to 3B. Lail RBI. It's 2-0 USC.
5:25 - Base hit for Smoak to center. Havens rounds third. He scores. USC leads 1-0 here in the top of the first. USC has jumped off Christiani quickly.
5:20 - We're underway here in Nashville. Havens takes the second pitch and hit it up the middle for a base hit. A new hitting streak begins after his 13-game HS ended last night. Merrifield sacrifices himto second. Smoak up.
5:05 - It looks like we're almost ready for baseball in Nashville. The field has been prepared. There is a sparse crowd on hand.
4:40 - The skies are clearing here in Nashville. They're telling us that the estimated time of the first pitch will be at 5:15 p.m. ET. There's still plenty of work to do on the field. The tarp has been removed. It's still overcast overhead, though I've see patches of blue.
4 P.M. - We're here in Nashville for Saturday's USC-Vanderbilt baseball gane. However, Mother Nature isn't cooperating right now. The tentative start time is 4:30 p.m. E.T. The game was supposed to start at 3 p.m. However, that looks questionable at best. It's still raining fairly hard and puddles are building in the outfield.
If we do get started, here is USC's tentative starting lineup:
Havens - 6
Merrifield - 8
Smoak - 3
Enders - 2
Darnell - 5
Lail - 9
Crisp - 7
Disher - DH
Wingo - 4
Atwood - P
- Permalink, Discuss, Blog Home
Previous Blog Entries
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 @.