April 21, 2009

Final Stats | Photo Gallery

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Junior Jimmy Tanner (Fayetteville, Ga./Starr's Mill) went 3-for-5 and added a run for the USC Upstate baseball team, but two homers and six innings with two runs or more were enough to help Southeastern Conference power South Carolina get past Upstate, 14-6, in the first sellout in the history of Harley Park on Tuesday night. The announced crowd of 1,022 is the largest home game ever for the USC Upstate baseball program.

Down 10-2 in the fifth inning, Upstate (10-29 overall) closed the gap to five runs with a three-run inning. Tanner led off with a double down the line and moved to third on a groundout. Freshman Austin Moyer (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford) followed with a walk and after the second out was recorded on a strikeout, freshman Jeff Medley (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford) rocketed a ball off the fence in right-center field for a two-RBI triple. Junior Ryan Wilkins (Spartanburg, S.C./Spartanburg Methodist) followed with a single to left center to drive in Medley.

The Gamecocks (27-14 overall) tacked on another two runs each in the eighth and the ninth, using three hits in the innings to get the runs to take a 14-5 lead. The Spartans added a run in the ninth to make up the final margin, as senior Kyle Simpson (Lyman, S.C./Byrnes) was hit by a pitch with one out. After a fly out, Tanner singled through the left side and senior Phillip Morgan (Campobello, S.C./Spartanburg Methodist) added another liner through the left side to score Simpson before a fly out ended the game.

Down by two runs in the bottom of the second and buoyed by a 1-2-3 inning from freshman Austin Moyer (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford) on the mound, Upstate tied the game with a two-run rally. Sophomore Blake Green (Rock Hill, S.C./Northwestern) singled into left center to lead off. After a flyout, junior Wilkins doubled into left center to move runners to second and third. After a strikeout, Simpson drilled a single into center field to score two runs.

The Gamecocks got on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning when a two-out walk was followed by two-run homer to left center by Nick Ebert.

South Carolina got two runs in the third inning, as they loaded the bases with help from a hit batter and a walk, setting up a two-run single from Andrew Crisp.

Four more runs came across for the Gamecocks in the fourth inning, as Whit Merrifield hit a grand slam. The Gamecocks got two more runs in the fifth inning thanks to three hits to take a 10-2 lead.

Merrifield went 2-for-4 with three runs, a grand slam and five RBI and Crisp went 3-for-5 with three runs to lead the Gamecocks. Ebert added a 2-for-6 game with a homer and three runs.

Both Simpson and Wilkins added two hits for the Spartans. Wilkins had a run and RBI and Simpson had a run and two RBI.

Jay Brown (3-0) earned the win for the Gamecocks, throwing a career-high tying 6 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits and five runs. He walked four and struck out five. Moyer (2-5) took the loss for Upstate, allowing three hits and four runs in three innings. He walked two and struck out three.

Upstate will be back on the field on Wednesday afternoon when Charlotte comes to Harley Park to wrap up the Spartans' six-game home stand at 5 p.m.