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Baseball: A little too close

Late splurge leads Gamecocks to a Game 2 win

usc baseball rallies to beat Duquesne on day 2

USC players huddle before taking the field and beating Duquesne 8-4 at Carolina Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009. USC went ahead in the series 2-0.

Erik Campos/ecampos@thestate.com /The State

Written by CHRIS DEARING

Special to The State
Posted on 02.23.09
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Ray Tanner knew the second game would not be as easy as the first, and he tried to tell his team that before they played Duquesne at Carolina Stadium.

Tanner said he informed his team before the game that teams such as Auburn, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Miami and North Carolina State all lost on Saturday to opponents that Tanner said, “I’m sure they thought they were going to beat.”

So after the Dukes rallied to within one in the top of the seventh, Tanner was glad to see his squad produce a two-out rally in the bottom half of the inning and pull away for an 8-4 victory on Sunday in front of 4,617.

“They had cut it to one, and we countered a little bit with a rally there. And that gave us a little more breathing room,” Tanner said.

Justin Dalles and Bobby Haney delivered the two big blows in the seventh. DeAngelo Mack and Scott Wingo drew one-out walks before Dalles ripped a double off the wall in left to score both.

Haney followed with a double just inside the left-field foul line, and the Gamecocks (2-0) gave some cushion to Alex Farotto, who pitched the final 2Ð innings to earn the save.

“The momentum had changed a little bit, and that’s where we said, ‘OK, guys, we need to pick it up, we need a couple of clutch hits’ and, of course, it turned out in our favor,” Dalles said.

Freshman Jackie Bradley Jr. staked the Gamecocks to the lead with a three-run homer in the second that glanced off the right-field foul pole. He added two doubles and has started the season 5-for-11 from his leadoff spot.

“I was kind of pressing a little yesterday, but since then I’ve settled down and played my game,” Bradley, Jr. said.

It took that type of effort because, one day after South Carolina pitchers limited Duquesne (0-2) to one hit and four runners, the Dukes posted six hits and 20 base runners. Four USC pitchers combined to walk nine batters and hit five more. However, Duquesne stranded 15 on base.

“From our standpoint, we scuffled a little bit on the mound,” Tanner said. “I mean, let’s tell it like it is. We didn’t pitch as well as we need to pitch, and we hit some guys. Thank goodness we stranded some runners.”

Freshman Nolan Belcher started but left after the first batter in the fifth inning and did not figure in the decision. In Tanner’s 13 years at the helm, Belcher is the first true freshman to earn a starting spot in the opening weekend rotation, but he walked four and hit three batters in his debut.

He allowed one run on two hits but threw 81 pitches and did not show the consistency that earned him the starting nod.

“He was a little rough around the edges, but I thought it was a positive outing because of his competitiveness,” Tanner said. “He got himself in some jams; he got himself out of some jams. He hit a few guys, walked a few too many but he competed and he showed you why he got a chance to pitch.”

Jordan Costner and Curtis Johnson followed Belcher and struggled as well. Both are coming off injuries last year, and Tanner said it was nice to get both of them back out there in live competition.

Farotto closed the game and was impressive. He didn’t allow a hit, walked two and struck out two after being a situational pitcher in his first three years.

“This is Farotto’s last year, and he doesn’t want to be a guy that just gets a chance to pitch,” Tanner said. “He wants to be a guy that figures in some tough situations.”

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