March 13, 2004
Columbia, S.C. – Junior right-hander Aaron Rawl scattered five hits over eight shutout innings Saturday and third ranked South Carolina improved its record to 16-0 with a 7-0 win over Delaware State.
The final game of the three game series is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., Sunday at Sarge Frye Field.
Rawl struck out seven and walked none, never going more than two balls on any batter, in improving his personal record to 4-0. Derek Batton allowed all 12 South Carolina hits and seven runs in 6 2/3 innings to take the loss. His record evened at 2-2 and Delaware State dropped to 8-10. Harris Honeycutt pitched the ninth inning for South Carolina. He retired the side in order with one strikeout.
Kevin Melillo had three hits for South Carolina and Landon Powell, Michael Campbell and Davy Gregg had two each. Melillo, Campbell, Bryan Triplett and Steven Tolleson had doubles. Campbell drove in two runs. The Gamecocks did not hit a home run for just the second time in 16 games.
Rawl allowed a one out first inning single to C. J. Acker, a two out second inning single to Randy Boyer, a one out infield single in the fourth inning by Bret Underwood, a leadoff fifth inning double to Jason Rust and a two out sixth inning single by Kelly Williams. Underwood was wiped out by a double play and the five other Hornet base runners were left on base.
Rawl and Honeycutt retired the final 10 Delaware State batters in order.
South Carolina took a 1-0 first inning lead on a one out double by Triplett and Powell’s 200th career hit, the 18th Gamecock to register 200 or more hits in a career. With two hits Powell extended his current hitting streak to 12 games.
Five consecutive hits and a sacrifice fly produced four runs in the fourth inning. Melillo, Campbell, Hank Parks and Gregg singled, Tolleson doubled and Triplett hit a sacrifice fly to make the score 5-0.
The final two Gamecock runs tallied in the seventh inning. Steve Pearce walked and pinch runner Trey McDaniel advanced to third on a double by Melillo. Campbell’s double drove in two runs.
The shutout was the sixth in 15 games for the South Carolina pitching staff which reduced its earned run average to 1.64. Gamecock pitchers have struck out 190 batters and walked 17 in 143 innings. The Gamecock defense played its ninth errorless game.
With 12 hit’s the team batting average dropped one point to .366. The team has 212 hits in 580 at bats.
