The Sarge

TOP 9 - Josh Knab on to pitch, DC Arendas on to play short. After a single to left to start the inning by Spaulding, Godfrey goes down looking. Iskenderian is now in to play third and he makes a great pickup on a sharp ground ball. He begins the 5-4-3 double play to end the game. Woot. FINAL: Carolina 14 - Ball State 4. W: Sullivan (1-0). The Gamecocks (10-2) host Rider on Friday at 7 p.m.

BOTTOM 8 - Joey Pankake walks and LB Dantzler doubles down the right field line. That extends Dantzler's hitting streak to nine games. Schrock lines an RBI single to right field to plate a run. Greiner comes up and strokes a double over the head of the left fielder. That cut through the teeth of the wind to score a pair of runs. Hard to do that on a day like today but he's had some very good swings. Iskenderian knocks an RBI single back up the middle to plate the first run of his career. Costen reaches on an error back to the mound to put two on with no one out. South Carolina has blown this game open as Ball State makes a pitching change - RHP Cameron Schooley. Sullivan rips a double on the first pitch from Schooley down the left field line. That scores a couple. Saiko grounds out and Vergy pops out to left to finally register a couple of outs. Pankake is plunked. Sullivan comes home on a wild pitch. Dantzler walks to bring up Schrock. He bounces out to first to end the inning. Gamecocks lead 14-4

TOP 8 - Adam Westmoreland in to pitch for South Carolina. TJ Costen makes a nice diving catch in right field for the first out of the inning. Winkle doubles down the left field line and the Schlotter bounces a single through the left side to score him. Westmoreland isn't looking good right now as he uncorks a wild pitch. He issues a walk to put two on with two outs and Jerry Meyeres comes out to call upon LHP Tyler Webb. He gets Beemer, the leadoff hitter who smacked the home run, to end the inning. Gamecocks lead 7-4

BOTTOM 7 - Very quick inning there for the Ball Staters. Sullivan grounds out to third, Saiko flies out to right, and Vergason goes down swinging. Vergy had reached base four times in four plate appearances before that at-bat. Gamecocks lead 7-3.

TOP 7 - Sullivan back to the mound and gets pinch hitter Schlotter (for Tidaback) swinging. Nine-hole hitter DeVarie walks and Beemer bounces a breaking ball through the left side to put runners on first and second. A fly ball to right moves the runner from second to third and a single up the middle by Godfrey brings home a run off of Sullivan. Campbell hits a dribbler that just gets past Sullivan. Dantzler scoops it up and flips to the pitcher to get Campbell by a step to end the inning. At the stretch, Gamecocks lead 7-3

BOTTOM 6 - LB Dantzler pops up to third base to begin the inning. Schrock walks and then goes ahead and swipes a couple of bases. He comes home on an RBI single to right field by Grayson Greiner, who has hit three balls hard today and the only one he doesn't goes for a hit. Iskenderian flies out to right center and Costen goes down swinging to end the inning. Gamecocks lead 7-2

TOP 6 - Godfrey drops a perfect bunt down the third base line to begin the inning. Vergy has no choice but to put it in his back pocket. One on, no outs. Sean Sullivan can't help his brother out. Deep fly ball to right field. The wind keeps carrying the ball and it hits off the wall. Ball bounces back towards the grass and puts runners on second and third with no one out. Weir strikes out on a breaking ball in the dirt for the first out of the inning. That's four strikeouts. A swinging bunt stays just fair to load the bases with one out and the Cardinals are threatening. Winkle up and hits a soft, sinking liner towards short. Pankake makes a nice diving stab and catches it just before it hits the dirt. The runner from second thought it was going to be down, so he took off for third base. Pankake flips to Schrock for the double play and the Gamecocks are out of the inning. Gamecocks lead 6-2.

BOTTOM 5 - TJ Costen leads off with a single to short. Hard hopper that the shortstop can't field. Goes into left. He swipes second. Got a very good jump on that play. Sullivan swings and misses on a breaking ball for the first out of the inning. Saiko flies out to center but the out gets Costen to third base. Vergason walks, so he's reached base in all four at-bats today with a single and three walks. Pankake hits another one on the screws but it's caught on the track in right center to end the inning. Gamecocks lead 6-2.

TOP 5 - Sullivan issues a walk but doesn't have any troubles in the inning. Registers his second strikeout of the game. It's freezing. My fingers are about to break off. Gamecocks lead 6-2.

BOTTOM 4 - Three up, three down go the Gamecocks. Schrock with a soft liner to third. Greiner with another hard shot, but right at the centerfielder again. Couple of good passes he's had today. Iskenderian with a pop out to right field. Gamecocks lead 6-2.

TOP 4 - Britt back to the bump. He gets a ground ball out to begin the inning but then gives up a single to end his day. He threw 53 pitches. Patrick Sullivan comes in and gets a strike out and a force play on a ground ball to short to end the inning. Gamecocks lead 6-2.

BOTTOM 3 - The first three runners of the inning reach as Iskenderian knocks a single to right, his first hit as a Gamecock. Costen walks and Sean Sullivan, who hits for Tanner English, is hit by a pitch. English injured himself while throwing in the top half of the inning. USC is calling it a right shoulder injury. We'll try to find out more after the game. Saiko comes up and hits a sac fly to left field to bring home one run. Runners on first and second for Vergason. He knocks an RBI single to left. Pankake bounces a single through the six hole to put runners at the corners for Dantzler, who pops out in foul territory to left. Gamecocks lead 6-2

TOP 3 - Nine-hole hitter Elbert DeVarie hits a hard bouncer inside the first base bag and into the corner for a leadoff double. He takes third on a fly ball to right center and scores on a fly ball to center. Ball flying really well here today to right field. Cold, thin air and wind blowing out to right. Costen settles under another fly ball to right to end the inning. Gamecocks lead 4-2

BOTTOM 2 - Two quick outs for Manering, who gets Costen and English swinging on a total of seven pitches. Yeck. Inning ain't over though as Saiko shoots a single through the right side and Vergason walked. Pankake comes up and lifts a pitch to right field. Ball got up in the wind and carried out by a couple of feet. That's two three-run home runs in as many days. Dantzler walks, Schrock comes through with his second hit in as many at-bats, to put two on. Greiner hits another line drive but this one is right to the centerfielder for the third and final out of the inning. Gamecocks lead 4-1

TOP 2 - Nice, quick inning for Britt there getting two ground outs and a fly out to right center. English tracks it well. Still tied 1-1.

BOTTOM 1 - Graham Saiko grounds out to begin the game. The next three hitters of the order are walked and few of the pitches are close. Schrock up with the bases loaded and he delivers an 0-2 single back up the middle to bring one home. It was a line drive, so the runners had to freeze. Greiner hits a bullet but third baseman Weir jumps up and makes the catch. Robbed him of a double. Iskenderian bounces back up the middle. Ball is fielded by the second baseman, who steps on the bag for the third out of the inning. Score tied 1-1

TOP 1 - Curt Britt toes the rubber for his first start of his South Carolina career. He's got to have a little chuckle as the first pitch he throws is crushed to right field. The ball hit off the back fence by the road. Solo blast. After a strikeout, Godfrey lashes a single through the left side but is gunned down trying to swipe second on an offering to cleanup hitter Campbell. Campbell walks. Weir strikes out to end the inning. Ball State leads 1-0

Sophomore Connor Bright was scratched from the lineup this afternoon due to a sore ankle. He can play if necessary tonight but he's not starting. Bright, sunny day at Carolina Stadium. Wind is blowing in from left field and it's cold ... at least it is up in the press box where we get no sun. But anyway.

Carolina

LF - Graham Saiko
3B - Chase Vergason
SS - Joey Pankake
1B - LB Dantzler
2B - Max Schrock
C - Grayson Greiner
DH - George Iskenderian
RF - TJ Costen
CF - Tanner English

RHP - Curt Britt

Ball State

LF - Blake Beemer
2B - Ryan PSpaulding
RF - Sean Godfrey
DH - Cody Campbell
3B - T.J. Weird
1B - Billy Wellman
CF - Wes Winkle
C - Sam Tidaback
SS - Elbert DeVarie

LHP - Clay Manering