Gamecocks one win from CWS

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Freshman Michael Campbell knows he's in the lineup for his defense. He showed South Carolina he's got a little pop in his bat as well.

Campbell had a two-run, game-winning single and assisted on a putout at home that saved the tying run as the Gamecocks opened the NCAA Super Regional with a 5-4 victory over North Carolina on Friday.

``Sometimes you've got to step up and make the big hit,'' Campbell said. ``I knew I wasn't going to go down with runners on second and third in this super regional.''

The next inning, Campbell showed why he has started 55 of 63 games for South Carolina (43-20) this year and, with one more win, could start the in College World Series next week.

With a runner on first and two outs, North Carolina's Wes Moyer roped a liner all the way to wall in left. Coach Mike Fox never hesitated in waving pinch runner Justin Webb around third. But Campbell slid to stop the ball, made a perfect relay to shortstop Justin Harris, who threw to catcher Landon Powell in plenty of time to end the inning.

``When that ball went into the corner, I knew it was going to be hard to come up with,'' South Carolina coach Ray Tanner said. ``He went to the knee, threw right to cut off man. Just a great play.''

Starter David Marchbanks (15-2) and reliever Chris Hernandez held the Tar Heels (42-22) to four hits and no runs the last seven innings.

Powell added a homer and three RBIs for the Gamecocks, who can make the CWS for the second straight year with another victory in the best-of-3 series.

Powell's power got the Gamecocks started. He came into the season as one of the country's best power-hitting catchers and a surefire high draft pick. But the junior's power numbers were off during the year and he wasn't chosen until the second day of the Major League Draft this week, going in the 25th round to the Chicago Cubs.

Powell said he wasn't trying to prove something to big league executives who passed on him. ``I just want to help the Gamecocks,'' he said. ``That other stuff can wait.''

Here Powell showed his worth on a dreary, rain-filled day. He drove in the Gamecocks' first three runs, including a two-run shot in the first that carried the scoreboard in right center.

The teams meet again Saturday, although the forecast calls for a full day of rain. If North Carolina wins that one, a third game would take place Sunday for the trip to Omaha, Neb.

Marchbanks allowed four runs in the first two innings and appeared on the verge of collapse. Moyer had a long two-run homer in the Tar Heels' three-run second that put them ahead 4-2.

But he allowed only one runner past third when Webb was erased by Campbell's stop and Harris' throw the next four innings. Hernandez, who threw a complete-game five-hitter to start the NCAA regional at Atlanta last week, proved he's just as good coming out of the bullpen.

North Carolina had leadoff runners on its last three innings and could not score. Greg Mangum made it to second in the ninth for the Tar Heels. But their top two power hitters, Jeremy Cleveland and Sean Farrell, both grounded out to third to end the game.

``We always have confidence in ourselves, it just didn't happen today the way we'd like it,'' said Cleveland, who has 19 homers. ``Usually, somebody's going to step up and get a big hit with two outs. ... Everybody's contributed, but today no one stepped up.''

Junior Daniel Moore (7-3) got the loss.

Hernandez had his second save for South Carolina.

It's the third time in four seasons the Gamecocks have won the opening super regional game at home. The fans here have seen both sides, though. South Carolina lost the next two games in 2000 to send Louisiana-Lafayette to the CWS. Last year, it needed a game-three ninth-inning rally to get past Miami and go to Omaha.

Tanner thinks that experience, positive and negative, will help this week. ``Does that mean North Carolina can't win the next two? Not at all,'' he said. ``But it toughens us a little bit. One of the great things is we're battle tested.''