25 Seasons, 25 Moments
Rifles Power Past Tennessee, 7-4 USCS posts school’s first win against an SEC school, as lefthander Chris Hawkins saves game with four innings of key relief, April 14, 1987. By Alex Edwards USC Upstate Media Relations Assistant In late March, USC Spartanburg started to get hot, winning four of five games before a win over Elon started another winning streak. A win over Western Carolina was followed by six straght NAIA District Six wins. A win over UNC Asheville was followed by a 4-1 win over Wofford and two forfeit wins over Voorhees, as USCS entered its Spring Break with a 12-game winning streak, leading into a seven-day, seven-game road trip to Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina. The Rifles opened the trip with win No. 13, an 11-4 win over Tennessee Wesleyan, leading into a Tuesday afternoon game against the first Southeastern Conference opponent in school history at Tennessee. USCS entered Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, a 4,000-seat stadium that looked suspiciously like a minor league field, looking to upset the Volunteers. “I remember many of the players were in awe when we first entered the stadium and during batting practice,” Rick Given, who started at catcher during the game, said. “After batting practice, it felt like any other game.” The two teams stayed close in the early innings, with Tennessee crossing the plate first, but both teams had little margin for error in the pitcher’s duel. Trailing 1-0 in the top of the sixth, five Rifles crossed home plate to give USC Spartanburg a 5-1 advantage, a lead they did not relinquish. In the game with the Volunteers, the Rifles totaled 14 hits, with seven of those coming in the decisive sixth inning. In the bottom of that inning, starting pitcher Don Brock, who went on to be signed by San Francisco in 1988, was forced to exit as he was unable to continue after being hit by a line drive earlier in the game. Chris Hawkins, a starting pitcher that season, entered the game and secured the final 12 outs for USCS en route to the 7-4 victory. “I wasn’t even supposed to be coming in,” said Hawkins. “It was the year that I was a starter, but Coach Daurity really wanted to win the game. He knew it would do a lot for our program to beat an SEC school.” Tennessee cut the deficit to just one after six complete innings but never got any closer as the Rifles scored a single run in the seventh and eighth innings. Meanwhile, on the hill, Hawkins, who was signed by Houston at the end of the 1987 season, was in con-
What They Have To Say...
trol against the Vols, who featured a team that had six Major League Draft picks on it. He cruised, allowing just four hits and one walk, while he struck out four, including the last batter of the game. “I remember the last pitch and it was a fastball, called third strike,” Hawkins said. “I didn’t think the umpire was going to give me the call, but I got it and it was good.” Several Rifles had a quality day at the dish against the Volunteers. MLB draftees Rick Given and Leonard Thigpen combined for seven hits in 10 at-bats that day and totaled three RBI and two runs. Assisting with the Rifle charge were Chris Sturgill and Gary Delaney. Sturgill finished the game with a pair of hits, a run and a RBI. Meanwhile, Delaney had two hits complimented by two RBI and a run scored. “Don was very solid that day and the thing I remember was that Chris had such a live fastball,” Daurity said. “That thing was just booming out of his hand. We had a play at the plate because of his live fastball and the ball went by Rick Given. Chris covered and we got him.” The Rifles moved on from Tennessee to face Vanderbilt, another SEC school on Thursday, and with some help from a rain delay, the Commodores were able to end USCS’ 14-game winning streak, but 23 years later, the streak still stands as the second-longest in the school’s history. “The win over Tennessee was huge for us,” said Brock. “It was our spring trip in which we were scheduled to play Tennessee Wesleyan, Vanderbilt, UT, Western Kentucky and Belmont. We had beaten some really good teams at the time, but a win over them at their place was a great feeling.”
I remember many of the players were in awe when we first entered the stadium and during batting practice. After batting practice, it felt like any other game. We were on a 13-game winning streak entering that game and we weren’t planning on losing any time soon. - Rick Given ’88 The win over Tennessee was huge for us. It was our spring trip in which we were scheduled to play Tennessee Wesleyan, Vanderbilt, UT, Western Kentucky and Belmont. We had beaten some really good teams at the time, but a win over them at their place was a great feeling. I remember the game well for another reason. I took a line drive off my thigh in the second or third inning, which later began to bother me and was part of the reason I came out after five innings. Hawkins came in and did a great job, and the offense supplied plenty of support. - Don Brock ’88
I remember I wasn’t even supposed to be coming in. I was a starter at the time, but Coach Daurity really wanted to win the game. He knew it would do a lot for our program to beat an SEC school. Don (Brock) always threw a lot of pitches. He was in a lot of full counts, 2-2s and he threw a lot of pitches, just leaving too many over the plate. Coach Daurity told me to go warm up and I jumped out there. It was fun. Kenny Dickson would motivate me in different ways than normal and he got in my face and told me what the game was about and what it was for and he motivated me to go. I remember playing on that nice, big beautiful field that I hadn’t gotten to play in here or anywhere else for that matter. It was just a nice environment. The good thing about that team was that we always played up if our competition was better. I remember the last pitch and it was a fastball, called third strike. I didn’t think the umpire was going to give me the call, but I got it and it was good. - Chris Hawkins ’87 Don was very solid that day and the thing I remember was that Chris had such a live fastball. That thing was just booming out of his hand. We had a play at the plate because of his live fastball and the ball went by Rick Given. Chris covered and we got him. That was a great trip. We also played at Vanderbilt. Tony McKinney was on a pitch count and then it started raining and we took him out, but we had them on the run. It got so sloppy, but they had their hands full that day. - John Daurity
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