April 22, 2008
Box Score
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Phil Disher's three-run ninth inning home run broke up a tie game and lifted ninth-ranked South Carolina to a 5-3 win over Furman in front of 6,241 fans at Fluor Field Tuesday night.
Disher's decisive blast on the first pitch by Paladin reliever Nick Karow, cleared the left field wall and broke a 2-2 tie. Furman rallied for a run after two outs in the bottom of the ninth and brought the potential winning run to the plate, but the Gamecocks' Brandon Todd retired the Paladins' Brian Harrison on a groundout to end the game.
The win gave South Carolina (30-11) a season split with Furman (23-15) after the Paladins claimed a 4-2 win over the Gamecocks in Columbia on March 25.
Both teams managed only six hits in the contest, but two of USC's left the yard. Scott Wingo's two-run clout in the sixth tied the game at 2-2 after Furman had taken a 2-0 lead in the third highlighted by a Jay Jackson solo home run, his seventh of the season. Disher's 14th roundtripper in the ninth proved to be the difference.
USC starting pitcher Nick Godwin recorded a career high 10 strikeouts and allowed only three hits, two runs, and a walk over 7 1/3 innings. The senior right-hander also picked off two baserunners.
Furman starting pitcher Mason Smith pitched two scoreless innings and was followed by Justin Holloway, who hurled three effective frames, giving up only one hit and a run. With Furman leading 2-0, he opened the sixth by hitting USC lead off man Andrew Crisp and was lifted for Ian Parry, who surrendered Wingo's two-run blast to left field that tied the game at 2-2.
Parry kept the Gamecocks under control until the ninth when he hit Whit Merrifield to lead off the inning. Justin Smoak followed with a double into the left field corner that put runners at second and third with no outs. After retiring James Darnell on a foul pop, Parry was replaced by Karow, whose first pitch Disher deposited over the green monster in left field to make it 5-2.
In the ninth, South Carolina closer Brandon Todd recorded two quick outs before Bobby Hubbard doubled down the left field line and came around to score on a Ryan Lee double off the left field wall. Reese Wade kept the inning going with a sharp single to left field, but Todd regrouped to get Harrison on a game ending grounder to short stop.
USC's three-run ninth made a winner of Parker Bangs (3-1), who came on in relief of Godwin in the eighth. Todd's shaky ninth netted him his fifth save of the campaign.
Parry (3-2) absorbed the loss for Furman, which will return to action on Friday when it travels to Cullowhee, N.C., to open a three-game league series against Western Carolina. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m.
