Marchbanks, Gamecocks Take Two From Diamond Dogs
May 25, 2016 | Baseball
Official Game 2 Statistics
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Lefthander David Marchbanks was double trouble for Mississippi State's Baseball Bulldogs Saturday at Sarge Frye Field. The junior pitcher picked up a pair of wins for the Gamecocks, the first in USC's 4-3 victory in a completion of Friday's rain-suspended series-opener and the second by pitching into the eighth inning of his scheduled Saturday start, a 2-1 win by SEC Eastern Division-leading South Carolina (25-14, 9-8 SEC).
Marchbanks (9-2), who was honored as the SEC Pitcher of the Week last week, worked the final three innings of the resumed game. State (27-9-1, 10-6) trailed 2-0 when rain halted play after six innings Friday night. The Bulldogs knotted the score quickly off Marchbanks in the seventh when J. B. Tucker doubled and Matthew Brinson launched a two-run home run over the right field fence.
USC regained the lead in its half of the inning with a walk issued by relief pitcher Brian Owens, a two-out fielding error by shortstop Matthew Maniscalco, and, with Jonathan Papelbon on in relief, a pinch-hit single by Demetric Smith.
Maniscalco led off the eighth inning with his sixth home run of the season, knotting the score at 3-3. But USC again answered with a run on doubles by Jon Coutlangus and Justin Harris. Harris' bloop two-bagger just inside the left field foul line extended his current hitting streak to 16 games. Papelbon (5-1), who pitched the final 1-2/3 innings, allowed three hits and a run, only his second earned run allowed this season.
MSU's Alan Johnson (3-2) was matched with Marchbanks in the second game, and the two battled to a scoreless deadlock through the first three frames.
In the fourth MSU got back-to-back singles from Brad Corley and Craig Tatum and claimed a 1-0 lead with J.B. Tucker's sacrifice fly to right.
The lead didn't last long, however. South Carolina opened its half of the inning with a double to left and a Brian Buscher home run to right. Buscher's ninth roundtripper of the year was all the offense USC needed, though the Gamecocks loaded the bases with a pair of walks and a single in the fifth. Freshman righty Jamie Gant replaced Johnson and retired Landon Powell on a line drive to left to end that USC threat. He finished the game for State with 3-1/3 innings of perfect relief work.
After Tucker's sacrifice fly, Marchbanks retired 12 of the next 13 batters he faced before giving way to Chris Hernandez in the eighth. Hernandez got Maniscalco to ground out to end the eighth and in the ninth gave up a pinch-hit single to Robby Goodson before closing out the game and earning his first save of the year.
The one-run losses were the fourth and fifth straight for MSU at Sarge Frye Field.
State seeks to end a peky four-game SEC losing skid in Sunday's 12:30 p.m. (CDT) series finale at South Carolina. Sophomore lefty Todd Nicholas (3-1, 2.95) will a start for MSU, while USC is undecided on its Sunday starter.
SOUTH CAROLINA 4, MSU 3
MSU 000 000 210 --- 3-7-2USC 110 000 11x --- 4-11-0
WP --- David Marchbanks (8-2). LP --- Jonathan Papelbon (5-1). HR --- Matthew Maniscalco (6), Matthew Brinson (6). T --- 2:27. ATT --- 1,872.
Paul Maholm, Brian Owens (7), Jonathan Papelbon 97) nd Craid Tatum. Steven Bondurant, David Marchbanks (7) and Landon Powell,
SOUTH CAROLINA 2, MSU 1
MSU 000 010 000 --- 1-6-0USC 000 020 000 --- 2-6-0
WP --- David Marchbanks (9-2). LP --- Alan Johnson (3-2). SV --- Chris Hernandez (1). HR --- Brian Buscher (9). T --- 2:00. ATT --- 3,806.
Alan Johnson, Jamie Gant (5) and Craig Tatum. David Marchbanks, Chris Hernandez (8) and Landon Powell.
