USC-The Citadel Baseball Game Blog - Tue. 5/13
posted by Scott Hood, Tuesday, May 13, 2008
9:50 - We're in the T9. Cisco pitching for USC. This is probably just to give him a few pitches in preparation for the UT series.
9:45 - There's a 3-run BOMB by Smoak!! It sails far over the RCF fence to give USC a 10-2 lead here in the B8. That's the 59th career HR for Smoak. We go to the 9th with USC leading 10-2. Mike Cisco now pitching for USC.
9:35 - Citadel got a 1-out double but Farotto settled down with a F-8 and K to end the inning. Merrifield did have to run a long way to catch the ball in LCF. We go to the B8 with USC leading 7-2.
9:25 - Nice sliding catch by the Citadel RF to end the B7. He robbed Lail of a hit. That's how it's gone lately for the Indian Land native. USC down 1-2-3. There hasn't been much offense in thisone since the 3rd inning. We go to the T8 with USC leading 7-2.
9:20 - Farotto sets down the B-Dogs 1-2-3 in the T7. We've reached the 7th-inning stretch with USC leading 7-2. Disher, Crisp, Lail due.
9:15 - USC is down 1-2-3 in the B6. The Gamecocks have maanged to build a 7-2 lead without significant offensive contributions from Smoak and Darnell. The duo is a combined 0-for-6 with 2 walks. We go to the T7. Farotto still pitching for USC.
9:10 - Farotto comes in and sanwiches 2 flyouts around a walk. The Citadel doesn't score. We go to the B6 with USC leading 7-2. The last runs came inthe third.
9:00 - Dyson walks the leadoff batter in the T6 but follows up with a K. That's 7 K's for him tonight. Here comes Tanner. That's it for the redshirt freshman. Dyson's line: 5.1 IP, 5 hits, 2 runs, 7 K, 24 batters, 110 pitches, 72 strikes. The new pitcher is LH Alex Farotto.
8:55 - 1-out single for Enders in the B5, but that's it for USC. Havens flied out deep to CF for the final out. USC leads 7-2 as we head to the T6.
8:35 - Strikeout for the third out! Dyson works out of the jam. We go to the B5 with USC leading 7-2.
8:30 - Nice defensive play by Darnell for the second out in the T5. 2-out walk. Ouch! That's a cardinal sin of pitching. But that's just the second walk of the game for Dyson. He walked the first batter of the game but had been walk-free since then. There's a double into the RCF corner. Runners on 2&3. That's why you don't walk guys with 2 outs!
8:25 - USC down 1-2-3 in the B4. 2 K's and a 4-3. We go to the T5 with USC leading, 7-2. Dyson still pitching for USC.
8:20 - We have 2 outs in the T4 and a runner at first. Infield single. F-8 for the third out. Dyson has yielded 4 hits through 4 Inn. We go to the B4 with USC leading 7-2.
8:10 - 2 outs here in the B3. Havens up. He belts one to RCF. It clears the wall! HR for Havens. That's his 15th HR of the season. USC leads 7-2. Merrifield follows with a single to LF. He has 2 hits tonight. Smoak up. 4-3. We go to the T4 with USC leading 7-2.
8:05 - 6-3 groundout to end the T3. We go to the B3 with USC leading 6-2. Enders leads off for USC.
8:00 - 2-run HR for The Citadel in the T3 had cut the deficit to 6-2. That's the third HR allowed by Dyson this season.
7:55 - USC has added another run here in the T2 on a 2-out single by Crisp. Merrifield walked, moved to second on a 2-out single by Disher and scored on the Crisp hit. Lail K's. We go to the T3 with USC leading 6-0.
7:45 - Merrifield walks to open the B2. That's the 5th walk issued by Citadel pitchers tonight. But Smoak P-4 for the 1st out.
7:42 - Dyson looks strong with a pair of K's to end the T2. We go to the B2 with USC ahead, 5-0.
7:38 - Great running catch by Crisp in LF for the 1st out in the T2. He was running towards the line and reached up just as he was about to hit the wall. That's one of the best catches I've seen this year.
7:37 - Havens F-8 for the 3rd out. He made 2 of the 3 outs in the inning. USC leads 5-0 as we go to the T2. There were 3 hits and 4 walks in the inning.
7:35 - Enders up for USC. Single to LF! 2 runs score!! USC leads 5-0. Wingo bunts, Close play at first. He's called out! He looked safe to me. But that's 2 outs. Runners at 2&3. Havens up for the second time.
7:30 - Crisp walks with the bases loaded. Run scores. USC leads 2-0, 1 out in B1. Bases still loaded. Lail up. 3-0. There's a strike. Finally. Ball 4. Another runs scores. It's 3-0 USC. Tally is struggling big-time. Here comes the Citadel coach. That's it for tally. RHP Timmy Martin entering the game. USC leads 3-0 with just 1 out in the B1.
7:25 - Here comes the Citadel coach out to the mound. Tanner is talking to Disher. We're back. Disher singled to LF! Run scores. USC leads 1-0. Merrifield scored his 50th run of the season. Crisp up. He's batting .314.
7:20 - Citadel smartly pitches around Smoak for his 48th walk, tying him with Havens for the USC/SEC lead. Darnell up. 3-2 count. Changeup for Ball 4. Bases are loaded, 1 out for Disher.
7:15 - Havens leads off for USC in B1. He's batting .365 with a .490 OBA. F-7 for the first out. Merrifield lines one down the 3B line. He's going to try for 2B. Safe! Seventh double of the season for WM.
7:10 - Dyson fans 2 and walks 1 in the T1. Citadel got a runner to 2nd on a steal but that was it. We go to the B1 with the score 0-0.
7:05 - We're underway. Dyson walks the first batter on five pitches. There's a strikeout. 1 out, 1 runner on.
6:58 - The coaches are meeting at home plate with the umpires. We're close to getting this one started. USC is wearing their white uniforms with garnet pinstripes. The Citadel has blue shirts and gray pants.
6:30 - Here is USC's starting lineup with current stats for tonight's game v. The Citadel:
Havens - 6 (.365-14 HR-47 RBI)
Merrifield - 8 (.320-3-20)
Smoak - 3 (.391-19-56)
Darnell- 5 (.311-16-70)
Disher - DH (.308-16-49)
Crisp - 7 (.314-2-17)
Lail - 9 (.240-5-25)
Enders - 2 (.254-5-23)
Wingo - 4 (.232-6-15)
Dyson - P (6-0, 3.94 ERA, 32.0 IP, 25 hits, 15 runs, 30 K, 20 BB, .229 OBA)
Enders starts at catcher for the third straight game after sitting out four games due to a sore arm. You have to wonder how long Lail will continue starting in RF with a low BA.
6:20 - In case you've missed it, here is the current SEC ladder for the upcoming baseball tournament:
1. Georgia (19-7-1)
2. LSU (15-11-1)
3. Vanderbilt 15-11
4/5/6/7. Florida 14-13
Kentucky 14-13
Alabama 14-13
Ole Miss 14-13
8. Arkansas 13-13
************************************
9. USC 13-14
10/11. Tennessee 11-16
Auburn 11-16
12. Miss. State 7-20
Next Week's Schedule (Thur. 5/15 - Sat.5/17):
Tennessee at USC
Vanderbilt at Florida
Alabama at Georgia
Ole Miss at Kentucky
Arkansas at Miss. State
LSU at Auburn
USC should make it as long as it wins at least 2 of 3 games against UT, since it owns the tie-breaker over UF, Ole Miss and UK. The UK-Ole Miss series is a huge one as well. The loser of that series could be left out. UF needs to win 2 of 3 v. Vandy to assure itself of a trip to Hoover.
5:50 - We're here at Sarge Frye Field for tonight's USC-The Citadel baseball game. Obviously, this is a critical game for the Gamecocks as it prepares to face Tennessee in a SEC three-game series starting Thursday at 7 p.m. If you're planning on coming to the Sarge for the UT series, remember that the games will be played Thursday (7 p.m.), Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (4 p.m.). Sam Dyson will pitch tonight for USC. He's the winningest pitcher on the staff this season with a 6-0 record and 3.94 ERA in 32 innings. The Citadel is throwing freshman lefthander Matt Talley of Sumter, S.C. He's 1-3 with a 5.79 ERA in 37.1 IP. The Citadel is taking batting practice right now. USC finished up about 10 minutes ago, so we should have the Gamecocks' lineup fairly soon. USC is 116-44-1 all-time against The Citadel, including a 7-4 victory April 1 in Charleston.
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9:55 - 3-1 for the first out. K by Cisco for the second out. 4-3 for the finalout. USC WINS 10-2. Dyson moves to 7-0. USC is 35-18. Bring on Tennessee.
9:50 - We're in the T9. Cisco pitching for USC. This is probably just to give him a few pitches in preparation for the UT series.
9:45 - There's a 3-run BOMB by Smoak!! It sails far over the RCF fence to give USC a 10-2 lead here in the B8. That's the 59th career HR for Smoak. We go to the 9th with USC leading 10-2. Mike Cisco now pitching for USC.
9:35 - Citadel got a 1-out double but Farotto settled down with a F-8 and K to end the inning. Merrifield did have to run a long way to catch the ball in LCF. We go to the B8 with USC leading 7-2.
9:25 - Nice sliding catch by the Citadel RF to end the B7. He robbed Lail of a hit. That's how it's gone lately for the Indian Land native. USC down 1-2-3. There hasn't been much offense in thisone since the 3rd inning. We go to the T8 with USC leading 7-2.
9:20 - Farotto sets down the B-Dogs 1-2-3 in the T7. We've reached the 7th-inning stretch with USC leading 7-2. Disher, Crisp, Lail due.
9:15 - USC is down 1-2-3 in the B6. The Gamecocks have maanged to build a 7-2 lead without significant offensive contributions from Smoak and Darnell. The duo is a combined 0-for-6 with 2 walks. We go to the T7. Farotto still pitching for USC.
9:10 - Farotto comes in and sanwiches 2 flyouts around a walk. The Citadel doesn't score. We go to the B6 with USC leading 7-2. The last runs came inthe third.
9:00 - Dyson walks the leadoff batter in the T6 but follows up with a K. That's 7 K's for him tonight. Here comes Tanner. That's it for the redshirt freshman. Dyson's line: 5.1 IP, 5 hits, 2 runs, 7 K, 24 batters, 110 pitches, 72 strikes. The new pitcher is LH Alex Farotto.
8:55 - 1-out single for Enders in the B5, but that's it for USC. Havens flied out deep to CF for the final out. USC leads 7-2 as we head to the T6.
8:35 - Strikeout for the third out! Dyson works out of the jam. We go to the B5 with USC leading 7-2.
8:30 - Nice defensive play by Darnell for the second out in the T5. 2-out walk. Ouch! That's a cardinal sin of pitching. But that's just the second walk of the game for Dyson. He walked the first batter of the game but had been walk-free since then. There's a double into the RCF corner. Runners on 2&3. That's why you don't walk guys with 2 outs!
8:25 - USC down 1-2-3 in the B4. 2 K's and a 4-3. We go to the T5 with USC leading, 7-2. Dyson still pitching for USC.
8:20 - We have 2 outs in the T4 and a runner at first. Infield single. F-8 for the third out. Dyson has yielded 4 hits through 4 Inn. We go to the B4 with USC leading 7-2.
8:10 - 2 outs here in the B3. Havens up. He belts one to RCF. It clears the wall! HR for Havens. That's his 15th HR of the season. USC leads 7-2. Merrifield follows with a single to LF. He has 2 hits tonight. Smoak up. 4-3. We go to the T4 with USC leading 7-2.
8:05 - 6-3 groundout to end the T3. We go to the B3 with USC leading 6-2. Enders leads off for USC.
8:00 - 2-run HR for The Citadel in the T3 had cut the deficit to 6-2. That's the third HR allowed by Dyson this season.
7:55 - USC has added another run here in the T2 on a 2-out single by Crisp. Merrifield walked, moved to second on a 2-out single by Disher and scored on the Crisp hit. Lail K's. We go to the T3 with USC leading 6-0.
7:45 - Merrifield walks to open the B2. That's the 5th walk issued by Citadel pitchers tonight. But Smoak P-4 for the 1st out.
7:42 - Dyson looks strong with a pair of K's to end the T2. We go to the B2 with USC ahead, 5-0.
7:38 - Great running catch by Crisp in LF for the 1st out in the T2. He was running towards the line and reached up just as he was about to hit the wall. That's one of the best catches I've seen this year.
7:37 - Havens F-8 for the 3rd out. He made 2 of the 3 outs in the inning. USC leads 5-0 as we go to the T2. There were 3 hits and 4 walks in the inning.
7:35 - Enders up for USC. Single to LF! 2 runs score!! USC leads 5-0. Wingo bunts, Close play at first. He's called out! He looked safe to me. But that's 2 outs. Runners at 2&3. Havens up for the second time.
7:30 - Crisp walks with the bases loaded. Run scores. USC leads 2-0, 1 out in B1. Bases still loaded. Lail up. 3-0. There's a strike. Finally. Ball 4. Another runs scores. It's 3-0 USC. Tally is struggling big-time. Here comes the Citadel coach. That's it for tally. RHP Timmy Martin entering the game. USC leads 3-0 with just 1 out in the B1.
7:25 - Here comes the Citadel coach out to the mound. Tanner is talking to Disher. We're back. Disher singled to LF! Run scores. USC leads 1-0. Merrifield scored his 50th run of the season. Crisp up. He's batting .314.
7:20 - Citadel smartly pitches around Smoak for his 48th walk, tying him with Havens for the USC/SEC lead. Darnell up. 3-2 count. Changeup for Ball 4. Bases are loaded, 1 out for Disher.
7:15 - Havens leads off for USC in B1. He's batting .365 with a .490 OBA. F-7 for the first out. Merrifield lines one down the 3B line. He's going to try for 2B. Safe! Seventh double of the season for WM.
7:10 - Dyson fans 2 and walks 1 in the T1. Citadel got a runner to 2nd on a steal but that was it. We go to the B1 with the score 0-0.
7:05 - We're underway. Dyson walks the first batter on five pitches. There's a strikeout. 1 out, 1 runner on.
6:58 - The coaches are meeting at home plate with the umpires. We're close to getting this one started. USC is wearing their white uniforms with garnet pinstripes. The Citadel has blue shirts and gray pants.
6:30 - Here is USC's starting lineup with current stats for tonight's game v. The Citadel:
Havens - 6 (.365-14 HR-47 RBI)
Merrifield - 8 (.320-3-20)
Smoak - 3 (.391-19-56)
Darnell- 5 (.311-16-70)
Disher - DH (.308-16-49)
Crisp - 7 (.314-2-17)
Lail - 9 (.240-5-25)
Enders - 2 (.254-5-23)
Wingo - 4 (.232-6-15)
Dyson - P (6-0, 3.94 ERA, 32.0 IP, 25 hits, 15 runs, 30 K, 20 BB, .229 OBA)
Enders starts at catcher for the third straight game after sitting out four games due to a sore arm. You have to wonder how long Lail will continue starting in RF with a low BA.
6:20 - In case you've missed it, here is the current SEC ladder for the upcoming baseball tournament:
1. Georgia (19-7-1)
2. LSU (15-11-1)
3. Vanderbilt 15-11
4/5/6/7. Florida 14-13
Kentucky 14-13
Alabama 14-13
Ole Miss 14-13
8. Arkansas 13-13
************************************
9. USC 13-14
10/11. Tennessee 11-16
Auburn 11-16
12. Miss. State 7-20
Next Week's Schedule (Thur. 5/15 - Sat.5/17):
Tennessee at USC
Vanderbilt at Florida
Alabama at Georgia
Ole Miss at Kentucky
Arkansas at Miss. State
LSU at Auburn
USC should make it as long as it wins at least 2 of 3 games against UT, since it owns the tie-breaker over UF, Ole Miss and UK. The UK-Ole Miss series is a huge one as well. The loser of that series could be left out. UF needs to win 2 of 3 v. Vandy to assure itself of a trip to Hoover.
5:50 - We're here at Sarge Frye Field for tonight's USC-The Citadel baseball game. Obviously, this is a critical game for the Gamecocks as it prepares to face Tennessee in a SEC three-game series starting Thursday at 7 p.m. If you're planning on coming to the Sarge for the UT series, remember that the games will be played Thursday (7 p.m.), Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (4 p.m.). Sam Dyson will pitch tonight for USC. He's the winningest pitcher on the staff this season with a 6-0 record and 3.94 ERA in 32 innings. The Citadel is throwing freshman lefthander Matt Talley of Sumter, S.C. He's 1-3 with a 5.79 ERA in 37.1 IP. The Citadel is taking batting practice right now. USC finished up about 10 minutes ago, so we should have the Gamecocks' lineup fairly soon. USC is 116-44-1 all-time against The Citadel, including a 7-4 victory April 1 in Charleston.
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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 @.