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South Carolina Edges Furman 15-12 In Front Of 6,155 Fans At West End Field
May 16, 2006
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Robbie Grinestaff went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and five RBI to lead nationally 17th-ranked South Carolina to a 15-12 win over Furman in front of 6,155 fans at West End Field Tuesday night.
Grinestaff, a junior designated hitter from Jeffersonville, Ind., keyed South Carolina's 15-hit attack with a grand slam in the second inning, a run scoring single in the third, and RBI triple in the eighth. The win gives the Gamecocks (35-18) the two-game season sweep of Furman (30-20).
Justin Smoak doubled three times as part of a 3-for-4 performance, drove in a pair of runs, and scored three runs, and Neil Giesler had two hits and three RBI. Michael Campbell delivered two hits and scored five runs for the Gamecocks.
Joe Daysh went 4-for-5 with a three-run home run to lead Furman, which also pounded out 15 hits. Trailing 15-8 in the ninth inning, the Paladins used a two-out, three-run double by Steven Hildreth to narrow the USC advantage to 15-12. After Gamecock reliever Phil Disher hit A.J. Davidiuk to bring the potential tying run to the plate, Disher recovered by striking out Furman's leading hitter, Case Cassedy, to end the game.
Forrest Beverly (6-2) picked up the win after working 3 2/3 innings in relief of Gamecock starter Harris Honeycutt. He surrendered seven htis, four runs, including three earned, and walked two while striking out three.
Patrick Arnett (3-6) took the loss after yielding four runs on four hits over 12/3 innnings.
Furman jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning against Honeycutt. With one out, Will Stembridge singled, and A.J. Davidiuk reached on an error. Two batters later, Joe Daysh hit a towering home run just inside the left field foul pole.
South Carolina struck back with a four-run second inning against Furman starter Jay Jackson. Campbell led off with a double and moved to third on a balk. Jackson then walked the next two Gamecocks to load the bases, and Grinestaff delivered a grand slam home run over the right field fence for a 4-3 lead.
After Furman tied it at 4-4 in the bottom on the frame, the Gamecocks tacked on four more runs on four hits in the third to build a 8-4 lead. James Darnell's two-run double down the left field line highlighted the rally.
A.J. Davidiuk's team leading 10th home run of the season, a solo blast to left field in the third inning off Beverly, cut the Gamecock advantage to 8-5, but Neil Giesler's two-run double in the fourth plated Smoak and Campbell to extend USC's lead to 10-5.
Leading 11-8 after six innings, South Carolina got an RBI triple from Cheyne Harris in the seventh to drive home Darnell, and in the eighth the Gamecocks stretched their lead to 15-8 with three runs, highlighted by Smoak's third double of the game and Grinestaff's RBI triple.
Furman returns to action on Friday when it opens a three-game series against Western Carolina in Cullowhee with a 7:00 p.m. game. The Paladins and Catamounts will wrap up the set with a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 2:00 p.m.
