Feb. 26, 2006

Box Score

Columbia, S.C. - It took two days for South Carolina to win the second game of this weekend series over Duquesne. The Dukes were leading 1-0 when play was suspended due to rain after four innings on Saturday at Sarge Frye Field. The nationally-ranked Gamecocks tallied four runs in the bottom of Sunday's initial frame, the fifth inning, on the way to a 6-3 win.

Sophomore Pat Kimutis (Washington, PA / Trinity) scored the Dukes' (0-2) first run following his leadoff single in the third, a wild pitch, a stolen base and classmate Eric Morrison's (Pittsburgh, PA / Bethel Park) RBI double. Senior Scott Chisholm (Pittsburgh, PA / North Hills) pitched four shutout innings Sat., surrendering just one hit and a walk, before the weather halted play.

Senior Bob Hartle (Leechburg, PA / Kiski Area) took the mound Sunday morning and fell victim to the #19 Cocks' offense, led by Robbie Grinestaff's three-run homer in the fifth as the host team grabbed a 4-1 lead.

The Dukes responded with two runs in their next at bat off Andy Lambert that cut the deficit to 4-3 heading to the bottom of the sixth. Junior Joe Berletic (Jefferson Hills, PA / Thomas Jefferson) doubled to lead off the attack and moved to third on senior Steve Maiolo's (Pittsburgh, PA / Mt. Lebanon) single. Maiolo stole second as sophomore Derek Mechling struck out. A ground out by sophomore Aaron Janusey (Venetia, PA / Peters Township) plated Bertletic and moved Maiolo to third. Junior Alex Sharick's (Lower Burrell, PA / Burrell) single to left drove in Maiolo for the final run of the inning.

Both teams were kept off the scoreboard in their next two at-bats. But USC, in the bottom of the eighth, plated two runs on three singles and a sacrifice fly to cushion the lead to 6-3.

Kimutis, who went 2-for-4, kept DU's hopes alive in the ninth with a two-out single but was stranded there by relief pitcher Shawn Valdes-Fauli.

Lambert (2-0) was credited with the win and Valdes-Fauli picked up his third save for the 7-1 Gamecocks. Bartle (0-1), who pitched all four innings on Sunday, was charged with the loss.

The third and final game of this weekend series began 30 minutes after completion of this two-day contest.