Home runs by Dantzler, Matthews propel USC
After his team jumped out to an early 2-0 lead against South Carolina pitcher Matt Price, Clemson coach Jack Leggett felt that things were going his way in Game 2 of the series.
His feeling would turn out to be wrong, as USC third baseman LB Dantzler didn’t waste time taking the momentum away from Clemson, hitting his third home run of the season into right field to start the bottom of the second.
“It was just a 2-2 fastball that he was trying to get in and left a little over the plate,” Dantzler said. “I had a pretty good feeling it was out, but I wasn’t 100 percent. I was pretty sure.”
Dantzler’s homer would spark six runs over the next two innings to tame the Tigers en route to a 9-6 victory, win No. 100 in Carolina Stadium.
“We had a little momentum going in the second inning,” Leggett said. “They got a couple runs and had bases loaded, then we gave up a six-spot. You can’t do that. They’re a good ball club. It was one of those things where I thought, ‘Well, this is our day. We’re going to be playing well all day long.’ Next thing you know, we gave the momentum right back to them.”
After Dantzler’s home run cut the lead in half, freshman Kyle Martin singled to shallow right with a ground ball that got past Clemson second baseman Steve Wilkerson. Pitcher Dominic Leone then walked shortstop Joey Pankake, putting runners at first and second with no outs. Senior Adam Matthews sacrifice bunted to advance both Martin and Pankake before catcher Dante Rosenberg’s ground ball plated Martin to tie the game at two.
Leone hit second baseman Chase Vergason and then walked centerfielder Evan Marzilli to load the bases before surrendering the go-ahead run on his second hit-by-pitch of the inning, after he pegged English to bring Pankake home.
Matthews’s three-run home run to dead-center field in the next inning would give the Gamecocks a 6-2 lead that would prove too much for the Tigers to overcome. It was also the epitome of offense that Tanner would prefer to see on a daily basis, as he was able to have a mix of small ball with power hitting.
“We’ve got some guys who can run a little bit and put the ball on the ground,” Tanner said. “Tanner English is starting to figure out exactly what kind of player he needs to be. He can put some pressure on the infield, regardless of if they play in or not. If he gets a good bunt down, he’s going to make it extremely close. It was good to see Matthews get into a ball there in a situation to give us a lead. We’ve got to continue to manufacture some runs, steal a few bases, and make some things happen.”
Tanner talked to his team about situational hitting and using the entire field even when down in the count. The team responded on a night when the defense was shaky, as Price would surrender two more runs in the fifth, along with two errors by Pankake.
“I’m sure he’s probably not happy with his outing,” Tanner said of Price. “He was out there for 100 pitches today and he battled. I think he struck out six in 4 1/3 innings – that’s a pretty good line. He gave up a couple of runs and left some balls over the middle of the plate, but still it was a quality outing. He got into the fifth inning and I’d like for him to maybe extend a little bit in the future, but for now that was pretty good.”
Freshman pitcher Evan Beal came in and pitched the majority of the second half of the game, earning the win. He retired seven-straight hitters before allowing a hit with a breaking ball that Leggett described as challenging, taking momentum away from Clemson once again.
On a night when momentum would become so important, Matthews came in with little to none, as his batting average was sub-.200 before the night. He would leave with his first home run of the season, helping propel his team to a series-clinching victory. Just as Matthews is finding his swing again, so are the Gamecocks, who remain undefeated this season despite the new faces in the field.
“I’m starting to get into a rhythm,” Matthews said. “It’s a good feeling to have. All four of my years here, I think I’ve started out either 0-for-something – I had an 0-for-19 streak last year. It’s finally coming together.”