Ninth-Inning Rally Falls Short as Vanderbilt’s Season Ends with 3-2 Loss to South Carolina 5/23/03

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – South Carolina scored three unearned runs on three hits and held off a ninth-inning rally to outlast Vanderbilt, 3-2, Friday, May 23, in a second-round elimination game at the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

Vanderbilt, making its first appearance at the league tournament since 1996, concludes its season with a 27-28 overall record. The Commodores lost to Auburn 3-1 on Thursday. South Carolina (39-19) advances to face the loser of the Auburn-Alabama game that began at 5 p.m., on Friday.

Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the ninth, pinch hitter Mickey Kropf hit a one-out single through the middle of the infield off South Carolina starter David Marchbanks (13-2). Ryan Klosterman forced a walk to advance pinch runner, Gil Kim, to second base. John Kaye then knocked in Kim from second with a RBI single to right field to bring Vanderbilt within 3-2.

The run-scoring single chased Marchbanks from the game. After USC reliever
Aaron Rawl entered, Vanderbilt could not produce any more runs as Cesar
Nicolas popped out to second base and Tony Mansolino flew out to center field
to end the game.

Marchbanks earned the win. He gave up 11 hits but struck out nine and allowed only two runs (both earned) and two walks. Rawl picked up his sixth save of
the year.

Vanderbilt reliever Ryan Mullins (3-8) took the tough-luck loss, giving up a hit and two runs (neither earned) with a strikeout. South Carolina scored the games’ two deciding runs in the eighth. Pinch runner Tim Seaton scored from
third base and Justin Harris came around from second when VU shortstop
Klosterman threw short of first base after fumbling a tough hop from Landon
Powell.

Vanderbilt tied the game at 1-1 in the sixth when Worth Scott singled through
the right side of the infield to score Warner Jones from second base.

South Carolina took a 1-0 lead in the fifth. Jon Coutlangus drew a one-out
walk off Commodore starter Robert Ransom. Coutlangus then took third base on a fielding error by VU second baseman Zach Simpson on a grounder by USC’s
Michael Campbell. Trey McDaniel followed with a sacrifice fly to center field
that brought in Coutlangus.

“This is a tough loss for us,” Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin said. “It’s
probably tougher for us than for anyone else in this tournament because it
ends our season. I knew for us to make a regional we would have to go far here and we just couldn’t get the job done at the end of the game.”

Overshadowed in the loss was the performance by Ransom. The Commodore
right-hander was perfect through four and a third innings, before walking
Coutlangus in the fifth. Ransom tossed seven innings and gave up only two hits
and an unearned run while walking two and striking out four. His two hits
allowed were a career low for an outing that lasted longer than six innings.

Ransom ended his junior year, posting a 1-1 record and 0.83 ERA, with a no
decision during his last three starts. In 21 and two-thirds innings, Ransom
struck out 20 and walked seven while allowing 15 hits and six runs (two
earned).

Vanderbilt managed 11 hits in the game, but left 11 men on base. Klosterman,
Kaye and Scott each posted two hits against USC. Tollensen recorded two of
USC’s three hits.

The three hits allowed by VU pitchers were the fewest in a loss this season.

-VU-