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By John Manuel
June 21, 2002

Drew Meyer

OMAHA--Whatever happens in Saturday's national championship game against Texas, South Carolina's baseball program will remember Friday's 10-2 blowout victory against Clemson.

With the domination of its in-state rival, South Carolina (57-17) swept a pair of games by a combined score of 22-6 to win the bracket and advance to its first championship game since 1977, when the Gamecocks lost to Arizona State.

The Gamecocks' other title-game appearance came in 1975, when they lost to Texas to give longtime Longhorns mentor Cliff Gustafson his first College World Series championship. Now, South Carolina coach Ray Tanner, in his first trip to the CWS, has his team in position to win its first national championship. South Carolina's athletic department recently claimed its first national title of any kind, in women's track.

"Everyone was laughing at us after our first game and saying we didn't belong here," senior outfielder Garris Gonce said. "To come back and make it to the national title game by beating Clemson, our biggest rival, makes it that much sweeter."

After losing 11-0 to Kyle Bakker and Georgia Tech in the CWS opener, the Gamecocks looked overmatched, but they battled back through the loser's bracket, coming from behind to beat Nebraska 10-8 on Yaron Peters' ninth-inning homer. The Southeastern Conference regular-season champions then dominated three games against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents, scoring 31 runs in three games against the Yellow Jackets and Tigers.

"We were shut out in our opener, and we're still here," Gamecocks coach Ray Tanner said. "We were doing our best to extend our stay here in Omaha, and now we have a chance to play in the national championship game. We put together one of our best greatest games of the year."

That can be said of the team and several individuals. Junior lefthander Steven Bondurant went the distance for the victory, just his second complete game of the year. South Carolina's meal ticket all year, senior first baseman Yaron Peters, failed to get a hit for the second straight game, yet the team bashed 13 hits. The six through nine spots in the lineup--Gonce, Brian Buscher, Landon Powell and Kevin Melillo--combined for 10 hits in 19 at-bats, five runs scored and all nine of the team's RBIs.

"Those guys at the top of the order needed a break," Gonce joked. "They're saving their hits for tomorrow.

"Drew Meyer and Yaron Peters and Steve Thomas have carried us all year, and I haven't had the year I wanted. I just hope those guys show up tomorrow."

The bottom of the lineup showed up in its first chance Friday in the second inning. That's when South Carolina jumped on Clemson starter Matt Henrie and a porous Clemson defense, which made three errors and generally played sloppily. Henrie walked Thomas to lead off the frame. One out later, Gonce blooped a double to right field on a hit-and-run with Tigers' second baseman David Slevin covering second. A hit batsman loaded the bases, and Powell jumped on a 2-0 pitch, lining it into right field for a two-run single.

Melillo, a freshman second baseman, batted with runners at the corners and one out, and popped into foul ground near the Clemson dugout. But third baseman Jeff Baker, battling a 17-mph wind, couldn't handle the popup, and Melillo made the most of his reprieve, lashing a single to right to make it 3-0.

"It's our job to drive in some runs and set the stage for the guys at the top," Melillo said. "We were able to do that today."

The Gamecocks chased Henrie in the third with the help of the first of Khalil Greene's three errors; he had made 11 all year coming in. With two outs, Greene couldn't make the throw on Trey Dyson's grounder. Gonce followed with the second of his three hits, a single to right that advanced Dyson to third. Dyson scored on a wild pitch, with another wild one moving Gonce to second. Brian Buscher then made it 5-0 with a single to left that bounced Henrie from the game.

"The bottom of their order made us pay, they had great games," Clemson coach Jack Leggett said. "It wasn't (Meyer or Peters), the guys who had great years for them all year . . . We had problems (at the bottom of the order) all year, and their guys did a better job of stepping up."

The Gamecocks added insult to injury with a five-run eighth, sending 10 men to the plate. Gonce's two-run single off B.J. LaMura and Melillo's two-run single off Jeff Hourigan were the big blows in an inning that included four hits, two walks and a hit batsman.

"I still thought we had a chance when we were down 5-1," Leggett said. "We hit it pretty well in the first couple of games. You need to give that kid (Bondurant) some credit. He changed speeds and threw his changeup and breaking ball for strikes, then he would sneak in a fastball for strikes."

Bondurant cruised, working around a first-inning double by Greene and allowing only a run in the third on Baker's fisted RBI single. The Tigers (54-17) left the bases full that inning as Bondurant pitched around Greene and Michael Johnson and struck out Roberto Valiente on three pitches. In all, Bondurant held the Tigers' "Murderer's Row" in check. Greene, Baker and Johnson combined for two hits in 10 at-bats and had three walks. Clemson stranded nine runners, including the bases loaded twice.

"We didn't want to challenge them with fastballs," Tanner said. "He needed to hit our spots and throw his offspeed pitches for strikes, and get them to hit it the other way. He was crafty and did a super job."

Bondurant (7-4) retired the side in order in innings six through eight, then had to contend with the Tigers' ninth-inning rally that included a bunt single, two infield hits and pinch-hitter Seth Miller's base hit. Player of the Year Greene got a shot at some redemption, but flied out to right field to end the game.

Bondurant, who also threw nine innings on March 31 against Alabama, gave South Carolina its second complete game of the Series, after it had just three all season. His timing could not have been better.

"He pitched the game of his life," Gonce said.

Now the Gamecocks will play the game of their lives, riding a four-game wijnning streak but facing a Texas team that has more rest and three one-run wins here in Omaha. But South Carolina has plenty of pitching left for Saturday. Tanner said he was leaning toward starting senior righthander Chris Spigner, with righthanders Aaron Rawl, John Wesley and Blake Taylor available to go along with lefties Matt Campbell, David Marchbanks and (perhaps) Gary Bell.

"Tomorrow we will give it our best effort," Tanner said. "But we will have fun. We can't be different as a team just because we're playing for the national championship."