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Morris: Dyson's big day stands tallest
South Carolina pitcher Sam Dyson delivers a pitch to George Mason Friday.
Jim R. Bounds/AP
Posted on 05.30.09
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PHOTOS: USC vs. George Mason
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GREENVILLE, N.C. | TALK ALL YOU WANT ABOUT Jackie Bradley’s sensational catch on the first play of this NCAA baseball regional, or the three-hit games from Bradley, Parker Bangs and Bobby Haney, or even the 23rd home run of the season from Nick Ebert.
All contributed to South Carolina’s 11-3 victory against George Mason. None compared to the performance of Sam Dyson and what it meant to the Gamecocks. When your bullpen is as shaky as it is thin, you need at least seven innings of solid pitching from your starter.
Dyson gave USC exactly what it needed.
“We want to save our bullpen for the next couple of days and hopefully we can get our starters to go pretty deep into the game,” Dyson said following a seven-inning outing in which he allowed three runs on seven hits.
Perhaps more significant was that Dyson picked up the win — his ninth of the season against four losses — while pitching away from Carolina Stadium. For most of this season, Dyson has found nothing but potholes away from home.
“He has not pitched well on the road as we all know, but he battled, battled hard for us today,” USC coach Ray Tanner said.
Dyson entered Friday’s game with a 6-1 record and 2.94 earned run average at home. He was 2-3 with a dreadful 8.75 ERA on the road. It looked like more of the same as Dyson struggled through the first inning against a George Mason club that entered the tournament with a.322 batting average.
Dyson’s first pitch to Spencer Wiggins nearly cleared the six-foot high fence in right field where Bradley leaped to make the catch. It was an eerily similar start to Dyson’s final game of the regular season against Georgia. His first pitch of that game sailed over the left field fence at Carolina Stadium for a home run.
Just as he did against Georgia, Dyson continued to struggle in the first inning. Georgia loaded the bases before Dyson got a strikeout to thwart any further damage. George Mason also loaded the bases with two outs before Dyson induced Shane Davis into a double play.
“The first inning was a little hairy, and it got a little easier after that, after Jackie made that play,” Dyson said. “I kind of gave in a little bit, and I got hurt by some balls I left over the plate and walked a couple of guys.”
USC pitching coach Mark Calvi visited Dyson on the mound with a 2-1 count on Justin Bour, George Mason’s third batter of the game. Two batters later, after Dyson hit Ryan Soares with a pitch to load the bases, third baseman Andrew Crisp paid a visit to Dyson.
At the same time, Tanner and Calvi sent Jay Brown to the bullpen. USC’s grand plan entering the tournament was to have Brown ready as a starter if the Gamecocks face a fourth game in this tournament. He was a last-ditch option out of the bullpen until the fourth game.
But Tanner says his strategy for handling pitchers changes at tournament time.
“I think you have to play the games a little bit different,” Tanner said. “You can’t get to the fourth inning and say, well, his pitch count is OK, we’ll leave him out there for a couple of more. The couple more may send you home.
“I think I will probably be prone to make decisions a little bit earlier than you would any other time of the year. You’ve got to try to win that game at that point.”
Dyson’s next pitch was sharply hit but directly to USC shortstop Bobby Haney, who fielded the ball, ran to second base and fired to first base to complete a double play and bail Dyson out of the inning.
Then, just as he did against Georgia, Dyson settled into a groove and cruised through the sixth inning. Dyson pitched a complete game against Georgia, allowing two runs on four hits while walking one and striking out 13.
He was not nearly as sharp against George Mason, but he was equally effective until his gas tank hit empty with one out in the seventh inning. It was clear Tanner wanted Dyson to get through the seventh, even though the pitcher was laboring badly.
George Mason runners were on first and second when Soares worked Dyson for a 13-pitch at-bat. Finally, after Soares had fouled off what Tanner called a “new NCAA record” number of pitches, Dyson got a called third strike.
Dyson was finished for the evening. It was not so much the 130 pitches Dyson threw that proved important to Tanner and his team. It was more the number of pitches Dyson’s outing saved the USC bullpen.
His seven-inning performance was exactly what USC needed.
Listen to Morris Tuesdays from 4-5 p.m. on ESPN Radio 93.1 FM.
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