May 3, 2003

Box Score

Columbia, S.C. - David Marchbanks scattered four hits over eight innings Saturday and Bryan Triplett continued his hot hitting with three runs batted in as South Carolina defeated Kentucky 7-2 to take a two game lead in a weekend Southeastern Conference baseball series.

The third and final game is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., Sunday at Sarge Frye Field. Sophomore right-hander Aaron Rawl, 4-2, is South Carolina's scheduled starting pitcher. He has been on the disabled list since breaking a finger on his pitching hand March 23.

Marchbanks, a junior left-hander, improved his record to 11-2 and lowered his earned run average to 2.13 in 97 innings. He leads the SEC in wins and came into the weekend second in the conference in earned run average.

Marchbanks did not have his usual control and walked five batters. In 89 previous innings he had walked only nine. He fanned three Saturday and has 72 strikeouts this season.

South Carolina improved its overall record to 31-17, 12-11 in the SEC. The win was the 700th for South Carolina Coach Ray Tanner in 16 years, nine at North Carolina State and seven at South Carolina.

The Gamecocks began Saturday tied with Florida for first place in the SEC Eastern Division. Florida played a late doubleheader Saturday at Auburn. Auburn won the first game 7-2.

Kentucky starter Heath Castle, 5-4, allowed seven hits and five runs in 5 2/3 innings to take the loss. The Kentucky record dropped to 19-27, 6-16 in the SEC.

South Carolina took a 2-0 first inning lead with two unearned runs. Steven Tolleson reached on an error and Landon Powell walked before a two out double by Triplett drove in two runs. Kentucky got a run back in the third inning on a walk to Jake Kungl and an RBI double by Mike Breyman. That was the only run allowed by Marchbanks.

South Carolina scored one run on two hits in the fourth inning and Triplett's second double of the game drove in Brian Buscher, who had singled, in the fifth. Buscher led off the seventh inning with a double and Powell hit his fourth home run of the season to increase the lead to 6-1. The Gamecocks added a seventh run in the eighth inning.

The final Kentucky run scored in the ninth inning off relief pitcher Zach Reeves. Singles by Gordon Tyler and Aaron Edwards and an infield out produced the run.

South Carolina collected 11 hits off three Kentucky pitchers. Buscher, Powell, Triplett and Justin Harris had two hits each. Tyler had two of the six hits by Kentucky.