USC-LSU Game 3 Blog - Sun. 4/27
posted by Scott Hood, 4/27/2008 12:33:00 PM
6:30 - Game has resumed. Jared Mitchell hits a solo HR for LSU in the B8 off Godwin. It's 6-3 LSU as we go to the T9. Unless USC comes back, this will mark the first time USC has been swept in BR since joining the SEC. Wingo K's. 1 out.
6:10 - The game is scheduled to resume at 6:20 p.m. I'm glad to see Cory Boyd was drafted in the 7th round by Tampa Bay. Good pick. I think he'll turn out to be a steal.
6:00 - The tarp is being taken off the field. It looks like we'll finally be able to complete this game. It's been four hours since the first pitch was thrown. Long day here at Alex Box Stadium.
5:50 - Kentucky beats Vanderbilt, 3-1. That means the Wildcats are 11-10, while Vandy is 11-9. We could have 4 teams with 11 conference wins in the SEC East by the end of the day. It looks like it's stopped raining here in BR. When play resumes, we'll be in the B8 with LSU leading, 5-3.
5:15 - As we wait our our second delay here in BR, I've been trying to follow the NFL Draft today. I can't believe Cory Boyd hasn't been picked. I saw a RB from Toledo was selected. Is he really better than Cory? I doubt it. I just wonder if personal/character issues are getting in the way. BTW, it's starting to rain again here in BR.
5:08 - LIGHTNING DELAY HERE IN THE B8. It's pretty dark overhead. The game must resume before 7 p.m. ET or it goes into the books.
5:05 - Bangs strikes out. We go to the B8 with USC trailing 5-3. Godwin still pitching for USC.
5:00 - Disher walks to open the T8. Lail smashe sone to third. This could be a DP. No! Lail beats it out. There goes Lail. But Enders is called out for hitter's interference! Bizarre call there. 2 outs. Bangs up.
4:55 - Godwin got the first two outs easily in the B7, but 2 singles and a HBP have loaded them the bases. The dangerous Matt Clark is up. The shift is on. The ball is hit up the middle. But Havens is there. He steps on 2B for the final out. We goto the T8 with USC trailing 5-3. Disher, Lail, Enders due.
4:48 - Darnell ground sout 5-3 for the third out. Havens is stranded at third. We go to the B7 with LSU leading 5-3. USC has to find a way to score twice before 6 outs are recorded or they will head home for the Bayou on the wrong end of a sweep.
4:45 - Havens leads off the T7 for USC. Base hit to LF for Havens. That extends his hitting streak to 15 games. Merrifield sacrifices. 3-4. Havens to 2B for Smoak. I'm sitting just in fron of the announcers for the local cable TV channel and they've had nothing by praise for Smoak. There's a 4-3 groundout. Havens to 3B. Smoak is 0-for-4 today, so his 18-game hitting streak is in danger. He's hoping to get another crack.
4:32 - We're underway in the B6 after a 40-minute rain delay. L-6 for the first out. HBP. Runner on 1st, 1 out for Jared Mitchell. F-9. Godwin nearly picked the runner of first. Godwin does pick him off. Sixth pickoff of the year for Godwin. We go to the T7 with USC trailing 5-3.
4:30 - USC takes the field. Nick Godwin is the new pitcher for USC. He pitched Tuesday night at Furman. He's 4-2 with a 2.20 ERA in 57.1 IP with 59 K's and 13 BB.
4:15 - The game will resume at 4:30 P.M. ET. The tarp is off the field and the grounds crew is working on the field. When the game resumes, we'll be in the B6 with USC trailing 5-3. The Gamecocks scored twice in the T6 to make it a 5-3 game. Phil Disher hit his 15th HR of the season and No. 38 of his career in the T6. The twams are out warming up again. We should be underway shortly, in about 10 minutes.
4:08 - Here comes the LSU players. They're going to remove the tarp. It's clear now in Baton Rouge. It looks we'll be underway in about another 10 minutes or so.
3:55 - I see some sunshine, so hopefully we'll be able to resume soon. It's not raining very hard either. But under the rules, there has to be at least a 30-minute delay.
3:45 - The rain is coming down pretty hard right now in Baton Rouge. The tarp is on the field. LSU leads 5-3 after 5-1/2 innings. USC scored twice in the 6th on a HR by Disher and a RBI FC by Bangs. he has 3 RBI this season.
3:40 - Wingo strikes out for the third out. WE HAVE A RAIN DELAY AND LIGHTNING DELAY. LSU leads 5-3 going into the B6. The deadline to restart the game is 6 p.m.
3:38 - Lail walks. Enders lines on e into RCF. The LSU CF dives but he can't get it! Lail moves to third. 1&3, 1 out. Tying run to the plate in Bangs. FC 5-4. Run scores. It's 5-3 LSU. Tanner out to argue that the 2B didn't have his foot on the bag. But he returns to the dugout after a brief conversation.
3:35 - Darnell F-9. Nice catch by the LSU RF. Here's Disher. Belted to RF. It's gone! Opposite field HR by Disher. It's 5-2 LSU. It's getting darker here in Batron Rouge. Hopefully, we'll be able to get the game in.
3:30 - Cooper finally gets out of the B5 with a U-3 and F-7. But LSU scores twice to take a 5-1 lead entering the T6. Darnell, Disher, Lail for USC.
3:25 - Stolen base. 4-1 groundout moves runner to 3rd. There's a bloop single to RF. Run scores. It's 5-1 LSU here in the B5. Calvi out for a chat.
3:20 - Leadoff triple past 1B into the lSU bullpen in the B5. Base hit to RCF. Run scores. LSU leads 4-1. Runner on 1st, 0 outs.
3:15 - Merrifield singles to LF with 2 outs. Here comes Smoak. USC needs a hit here. 1-3 for the third out. We go to the B5 with USC trailing, 3-1.
3:10 - Cooper closes out the B4 with 2 K's. We go to the T5 with USC trailing, 3-1. Wingo, Havens, Merrifield due. Wingo L-3 for 1st out.
3:05 - Double to LF for LSU with 1 out. There's a drive to LCF. It's gone. 2-run HR for LSU. The Tigers lead 3-1 here in the B4.
3:02 - Bangs struckout swinging for the third out. We go to the B4 with the score still tied at 1-1. USC strands 2 runners.
3:00 - Base hit for Disher with 1 out in T4. Lail up. Chopper towards third. The 3B can't handle it! USC has runners at 1&2, 1 out. Good scoring opportunity here. But Enders is jammed and pops out to 2B. That hurts. 2 outs.
2:52 - 6-3 groundout for third out. Nice play by Havens charging the ball and throwing across the body to Smoak. He's very good at that. That's a skill he'll need when he turns pro. So Cooper gets out of it with no damage. We go to the T4 with the scored tied at 1-1.
2:50 - LSU has runners on 1&2, 1 out after a BB and HBP. Cooper will have to work out of trouble. Bouncer to first. Smoak had to flip to Cooper for the out. LSU has runners at 2&3, 2 outs. Calvi out for a visit.
2:45 - Nothing for USC in the T3. 3-1, U-3, F-9. The LSU pitcher has set down 8 in a row. We go to the B3 with the score tied at 1-1.
2:40 - Cooper gives up a 1-out single but no further damage on the scoreboard. It's 1-1 as we go the T3. Top of the order for USC. Havens, Merrifield, Smoak.
2:32 - The first pitch by Cooper in B2 is belted deep to LF by Derek Helenihi for a solo HR. It's tied at 1-1. F-8 to deep CF for the 1st out.
2:30 - USC down in order in the T2. 5-3, K, 1-3. They'll have the top of the ordser inthe 3rd. We go to the B2 with USC leading 1-0. The RBI by Darnell in the 1st was the 58th of the season for him.
2:25 - Easy 1-2-3 for Cooper in the B1. 1-3 and 4-3 for the final 2 outs. We go to the T2 with USC ahead 1-0.
2:22 - Cooper takes the mound for USC. He had a great outing against Ole Miss last weekend. F-8 for the first out.
2:20 - Smoak lines the first pitch right at the LSU SS. He hit the ball hard but nothingto show for it. Darnell up. Base hit to LCF! Here comes Havens. He scores. It's 1-0 USC. Disher up. He K's. Again. Lail up. 5-3 on first pitch. USC leaves 2 runners. That's been a problem this weekend, but they do pick up a run. We go to the B1 with USC leading 1-0. USC had 2 hits in the T1.
2:15 - Havens falls behind 0-2 but works a walk to start the game. Great at-bat for him. Merrifield up. Base hit to CF! 0-2 pitch. USC has runners at 1&2, 0 outs for Smoak.
2:05 - The national anthem has been played. LSU has taken the field. The Tigers are wearing throw back uniforms from the 1930's. They definitely look from that era. Havens steps in. We're ready to go.
1:25 - Here is USC's starting lineup for Sunday's game with current statistics:
Havens - 6 (.393-12 HR-43 RBI)
Merrifield- 8 (.297-3-20)
Smoak - 3 (.405-18-51)
Darnell- 5 (.305-13-57)
Disher - 7 (.293-14-43)
Lail - 9 (.262-4-22)
Enders - 2 (.264-5-23)
Bangs - DH (.300-1-2)
Wingo - 4 (.235-12-32)
Cooper - P (5-3, 3.05 ERA, 59.0 IP, 62 hits, 26 R, 28 K, 13 BB, .276 OBA)
Today's lineup is Tanner's philosophy in action. Whenever USC faces adversity, he sticks with the veteran players. As a result, Disher will stay in the lineup despite his offensive struggles yesterday. Crisp is out of the lineup today after making a critical error in yesterday's game. Bangs has started five games and is 3-for-6 against SEC pitching.
1:15 - USC's starting pitcher is Blake Cooper, who is 5-3 with 3.05 ERA in 59.0 innings. He's allowed 62 hits and 26 runs with 28 K's and 13 BB. OBA is .276. Cooper has been clutch in the past when USC has dropped the first two games of the series. Lasy year, he beat Vanderbilt when the Commodores had won the first two games. Cooper has pitched well in his last 4 starts. Last week, he carried a shutout into the ninth inning against Ole Miss and finished with a complete game six-hitter. The previous week, he went 6.2 IP at Auburn. He also pitched well enough to win at Georgia April 6 with 7.2 IP, 8 hits, 4 runs.
1:00 - We've just been handed the updated USC stats and there's a couple of interesting things. First, Justin Smoak is now the leading hitter on USC with a .405 average. This is the first time all season Reese Havens hasn't been the Gamecocks' top hitter. Havens is at .393. Smoak had 4 hits yesterday and also walked three times. His OBP is now .521. That's incredible this late in the season. But it gets better. Smoak has a .455 BA against SEC opponents. He's 35-for-77 with 6 HR and 18 RBI in 20 SEC games. Two players that need to pick it up at the plate are James Darnell, who's down to .305 overall, and Phil Disher. Both of them failed in clutch situations on Saturday, including the 11th inning when USC could have scored a lot more runs but just got the one. Disher had 4 K's on Saturday. That's too many. As a hitter, the object is still to put the bat on the ball. Disher's weakness is breaking stuff on the outside corner. Disher has K'd 51 times this season. He definitely needs to cut down on his strikeouts. Darnell is batting .261 in SEC play this season. If those guys get hot again, watch out.
12:40 - We're here at Alex Box Stadium for Game 3 of the USC-LSU series. With losses in the first two games, I don't need to tell you this is an absolutely must-win situation for USC. You don't want to get swept in the SEC. That's disastrous. Further, the standings are so bunched up in the SEC East that you can't afford to lose too many games. A loss today and USC could find themselves in fifth or sixth place in the division. Blake Cooper has been a pretty good clutch pitcher in the past. No question, this is a gut check for the entire team. Here are the SEC East standings heading into Sunday's games:
Georgia 15-4-1
Vanderbilt 11-8
USC 11-9
Florida 11-9
Tennessee 11-9
Kentucky 10-10
Florida did USC a favor yesterday with a 7-2 win over UGA in Gainesville. Next weekend's series in Columbia between the Gamecocks and Gators is shaping up to be a huge one. USC also hosts Tennessee on the final weekend of the regular season. It looks like this one is going down to the wire.
6:35 - Havens K's. 2 outs in T9. Merrifield K. Strikes out the side. USC Falls, 6-3 to LSU.
6:30 - Game has resumed. Jared Mitchell hits a solo HR for LSU in the B8 off Godwin. It's 6-3 LSU as we go to the T9. Unless USC comes back, this will mark the first time USC has been swept in BR since joining the SEC. Wingo K's. 1 out.
6:10 - The game is scheduled to resume at 6:20 p.m. I'm glad to see Cory Boyd was drafted in the 7th round by Tampa Bay. Good pick. I think he'll turn out to be a steal.
6:00 - The tarp is being taken off the field. It looks like we'll finally be able to complete this game. It's been four hours since the first pitch was thrown. Long day here at Alex Box Stadium.
5:50 - Kentucky beats Vanderbilt, 3-1. That means the Wildcats are 11-10, while Vandy is 11-9. We could have 4 teams with 11 conference wins in the SEC East by the end of the day. It looks like it's stopped raining here in BR. When play resumes, we'll be in the B8 with LSU leading, 5-3.
5:15 - As we wait our our second delay here in BR, I've been trying to follow the NFL Draft today. I can't believe Cory Boyd hasn't been picked. I saw a RB from Toledo was selected. Is he really better than Cory? I doubt it. I just wonder if personal/character issues are getting in the way. BTW, it's starting to rain again here in BR.
5:08 - LIGHTNING DELAY HERE IN THE B8. It's pretty dark overhead. The game must resume before 7 p.m. ET or it goes into the books.
5:05 - Bangs strikes out. We go to the B8 with USC trailing 5-3. Godwin still pitching for USC.
5:00 - Disher walks to open the T8. Lail smashe sone to third. This could be a DP. No! Lail beats it out. There goes Lail. But Enders is called out for hitter's interference! Bizarre call there. 2 outs. Bangs up.
4:55 - Godwin got the first two outs easily in the B7, but 2 singles and a HBP have loaded them the bases. The dangerous Matt Clark is up. The shift is on. The ball is hit up the middle. But Havens is there. He steps on 2B for the final out. We goto the T8 with USC trailing 5-3. Disher, Lail, Enders due.
4:48 - Darnell ground sout 5-3 for the third out. Havens is stranded at third. We go to the B7 with LSU leading 5-3. USC has to find a way to score twice before 6 outs are recorded or they will head home for the Bayou on the wrong end of a sweep.
4:45 - Havens leads off the T7 for USC. Base hit to LF for Havens. That extends his hitting streak to 15 games. Merrifield sacrifices. 3-4. Havens to 2B for Smoak. I'm sitting just in fron of the announcers for the local cable TV channel and they've had nothing by praise for Smoak. There's a 4-3 groundout. Havens to 3B. Smoak is 0-for-4 today, so his 18-game hitting streak is in danger. He's hoping to get another crack.
4:32 - We're underway in the B6 after a 40-minute rain delay. L-6 for the first out. HBP. Runner on 1st, 1 out for Jared Mitchell. F-9. Godwin nearly picked the runner of first. Godwin does pick him off. Sixth pickoff of the year for Godwin. We go to the T7 with USC trailing 5-3.
4:30 - USC takes the field. Nick Godwin is the new pitcher for USC. He pitched Tuesday night at Furman. He's 4-2 with a 2.20 ERA in 57.1 IP with 59 K's and 13 BB.
4:15 - The game will resume at 4:30 P.M. ET. The tarp is off the field and the grounds crew is working on the field. When the game resumes, we'll be in the B6 with USC trailing 5-3. The Gamecocks scored twice in the T6 to make it a 5-3 game. Phil Disher hit his 15th HR of the season and No. 38 of his career in the T6. The twams are out warming up again. We should be underway shortly, in about 10 minutes.
4:08 - Here comes the LSU players. They're going to remove the tarp. It's clear now in Baton Rouge. It looks we'll be underway in about another 10 minutes or so.
3:55 - I see some sunshine, so hopefully we'll be able to resume soon. It's not raining very hard either. But under the rules, there has to be at least a 30-minute delay.
3:45 - The rain is coming down pretty hard right now in Baton Rouge. The tarp is on the field. LSU leads 5-3 after 5-1/2 innings. USC scored twice in the 6th on a HR by Disher and a RBI FC by Bangs. he has 3 RBI this season.
3:40 - Wingo strikes out for the third out. WE HAVE A RAIN DELAY AND LIGHTNING DELAY. LSU leads 5-3 going into the B6. The deadline to restart the game is 6 p.m.
3:38 - Lail walks. Enders lines on e into RCF. The LSU CF dives but he can't get it! Lail moves to third. 1&3, 1 out. Tying run to the plate in Bangs. FC 5-4. Run scores. It's 5-3 LSU. Tanner out to argue that the 2B didn't have his foot on the bag. But he returns to the dugout after a brief conversation.
3:35 - Darnell F-9. Nice catch by the LSU RF. Here's Disher. Belted to RF. It's gone! Opposite field HR by Disher. It's 5-2 LSU. It's getting darker here in Batron Rouge. Hopefully, we'll be able to get the game in.
3:30 - Cooper finally gets out of the B5 with a U-3 and F-7. But LSU scores twice to take a 5-1 lead entering the T6. Darnell, Disher, Lail for USC.
3:25 - Stolen base. 4-1 groundout moves runner to 3rd. There's a bloop single to RF. Run scores. It's 5-1 LSU here in the B5. Calvi out for a chat.
3:20 - Leadoff triple past 1B into the lSU bullpen in the B5. Base hit to RCF. Run scores. LSU leads 4-1. Runner on 1st, 0 outs.
3:15 - Merrifield singles to LF with 2 outs. Here comes Smoak. USC needs a hit here. 1-3 for the third out. We go to the B5 with USC trailing, 3-1.
3:10 - Cooper closes out the B4 with 2 K's. We go to the T5 with USC trailing, 3-1. Wingo, Havens, Merrifield due. Wingo L-3 for 1st out.
3:05 - Double to LF for LSU with 1 out. There's a drive to LCF. It's gone. 2-run HR for LSU. The Tigers lead 3-1 here in the B4.
3:02 - Bangs struckout swinging for the third out. We go to the B4 with the score still tied at 1-1. USC strands 2 runners.
3:00 - Base hit for Disher with 1 out in T4. Lail up. Chopper towards third. The 3B can't handle it! USC has runners at 1&2, 1 out. Good scoring opportunity here. But Enders is jammed and pops out to 2B. That hurts. 2 outs.
2:52 - 6-3 groundout for third out. Nice play by Havens charging the ball and throwing across the body to Smoak. He's very good at that. That's a skill he'll need when he turns pro. So Cooper gets out of it with no damage. We go to the T4 with the scored tied at 1-1.
2:50 - LSU has runners on 1&2, 1 out after a BB and HBP. Cooper will have to work out of trouble. Bouncer to first. Smoak had to flip to Cooper for the out. LSU has runners at 2&3, 2 outs. Calvi out for a visit.
2:45 - Nothing for USC in the T3. 3-1, U-3, F-9. The LSU pitcher has set down 8 in a row. We go to the B3 with the score tied at 1-1.
2:40 - Cooper gives up a 1-out single but no further damage on the scoreboard. It's 1-1 as we go the T3. Top of the order for USC. Havens, Merrifield, Smoak.
2:32 - The first pitch by Cooper in B2 is belted deep to LF by Derek Helenihi for a solo HR. It's tied at 1-1. F-8 to deep CF for the 1st out.
2:30 - USC down in order in the T2. 5-3, K, 1-3. They'll have the top of the ordser inthe 3rd. We go to the B2 with USC leading 1-0. The RBI by Darnell in the 1st was the 58th of the season for him.
2:25 - Easy 1-2-3 for Cooper in the B1. 1-3 and 4-3 for the final 2 outs. We go to the T2 with USC ahead 1-0.
2:22 - Cooper takes the mound for USC. He had a great outing against Ole Miss last weekend. F-8 for the first out.
2:20 - Smoak lines the first pitch right at the LSU SS. He hit the ball hard but nothingto show for it. Darnell up. Base hit to LCF! Here comes Havens. He scores. It's 1-0 USC. Disher up. He K's. Again. Lail up. 5-3 on first pitch. USC leaves 2 runners. That's been a problem this weekend, but they do pick up a run. We go to the B1 with USC leading 1-0. USC had 2 hits in the T1.
2:15 - Havens falls behind 0-2 but works a walk to start the game. Great at-bat for him. Merrifield up. Base hit to CF! 0-2 pitch. USC has runners at 1&2, 0 outs for Smoak.
2:05 - The national anthem has been played. LSU has taken the field. The Tigers are wearing throw back uniforms from the 1930's. They definitely look from that era. Havens steps in. We're ready to go.
1:25 - Here is USC's starting lineup for Sunday's game with current statistics:
Havens - 6 (.393-12 HR-43 RBI)
Merrifield- 8 (.297-3-20)
Smoak - 3 (.405-18-51)
Darnell- 5 (.305-13-57)
Disher - 7 (.293-14-43)
Lail - 9 (.262-4-22)
Enders - 2 (.264-5-23)
Bangs - DH (.300-1-2)
Wingo - 4 (.235-12-32)
Cooper - P (5-3, 3.05 ERA, 59.0 IP, 62 hits, 26 R, 28 K, 13 BB, .276 OBA)
Today's lineup is Tanner's philosophy in action. Whenever USC faces adversity, he sticks with the veteran players. As a result, Disher will stay in the lineup despite his offensive struggles yesterday. Crisp is out of the lineup today after making a critical error in yesterday's game. Bangs has started five games and is 3-for-6 against SEC pitching.
1:15 - USC's starting pitcher is Blake Cooper, who is 5-3 with 3.05 ERA in 59.0 innings. He's allowed 62 hits and 26 runs with 28 K's and 13 BB. OBA is .276. Cooper has been clutch in the past when USC has dropped the first two games of the series. Lasy year, he beat Vanderbilt when the Commodores had won the first two games. Cooper has pitched well in his last 4 starts. Last week, he carried a shutout into the ninth inning against Ole Miss and finished with a complete game six-hitter. The previous week, he went 6.2 IP at Auburn. He also pitched well enough to win at Georgia April 6 with 7.2 IP, 8 hits, 4 runs.
1:00 - We've just been handed the updated USC stats and there's a couple of interesting things. First, Justin Smoak is now the leading hitter on USC with a .405 average. This is the first time all season Reese Havens hasn't been the Gamecocks' top hitter. Havens is at .393. Smoak had 4 hits yesterday and also walked three times. His OBP is now .521. That's incredible this late in the season. But it gets better. Smoak has a .455 BA against SEC opponents. He's 35-for-77 with 6 HR and 18 RBI in 20 SEC games. Two players that need to pick it up at the plate are James Darnell, who's down to .305 overall, and Phil Disher. Both of them failed in clutch situations on Saturday, including the 11th inning when USC could have scored a lot more runs but just got the one. Disher had 4 K's on Saturday. That's too many. As a hitter, the object is still to put the bat on the ball. Disher's weakness is breaking stuff on the outside corner. Disher has K'd 51 times this season. He definitely needs to cut down on his strikeouts. Darnell is batting .261 in SEC play this season. If those guys get hot again, watch out.
12:40 - We're here at Alex Box Stadium for Game 3 of the USC-LSU series. With losses in the first two games, I don't need to tell you this is an absolutely must-win situation for USC. You don't want to get swept in the SEC. That's disastrous. Further, the standings are so bunched up in the SEC East that you can't afford to lose too many games. A loss today and USC could find themselves in fifth or sixth place in the division. Blake Cooper has been a pretty good clutch pitcher in the past. No question, this is a gut check for the entire team. Here are the SEC East standings heading into Sunday's games:
Georgia 15-4-1
Vanderbilt 11-8
USC 11-9
Florida 11-9
Tennessee 11-9
Kentucky 10-10
Florida did USC a favor yesterday with a 7-2 win over UGA in Gainesville. Next weekend's series in Columbia between the Gamecocks and Gators is shaping up to be a huge one. USC also hosts Tennessee on the final weekend of the regular season. It looks like this one is going down to the wire.
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