USC Sumter baseball team opens with sweep

WHITEVILLE, N.C. - The University of South Carolina Sumter baseball team completed a sweep of its season-opening series with Southeastern Community College-Whiteville with an 8-7 win at the SCCW field.

The Fire Ants, who improved to 3-0 on the season, rallied from a 5-2 deficit. Peyton Young hit a home run in the eighth inning to put them in the lead for good.

Tyler Mangum was 3-for-4 with three runs batted in and a home run to lead USC Sumter. Young was 2-for-5 with two runs, and Tyler Turner and Shanif Harani were both 2-for-5 with an RBI.

Austin Pearce pitched 3 1/3 innings of 1-run ball to get the win, improving him to 2-0. Chandler Sox pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing just one run.

Sumter opened its season with a sweep on Saturday, winning the opener 13-3 before taking the nightcap 9-6.

In the opening game, every player in the Sumter lineup got at least one hit.

Vince Hanna went 3-for-3 with three runs scored, a double and two stolen bases. Mangum had a hit and three runs batted in. Kaleb Strader had two hits and two RBI, and Young had a hit and two RBI.

Pearce pitched two-thirds of an inning to get the win.

In the second game, Sumter scored three runs in the top of the seventh to win the game.

Hanna led off the game with a home run and went on to score three runs. Mangum had two hits, two runs and two RBI, while Wynston Dyer had two hits, two runs and an RBI. Kyle Kalick and Austin Medlock also drove in a run.

Tristen Campbell pitched two innings to get the win.

USC Sumter softball sweeps Flo-Dar

FLORENCE - The University of South Carolina Sumter softball opened its season on Saturday by sweeping Florence-Darlington Technical College at the FDTC field.

The Fire Ants won by the scores of 3-2 and 9-5.

In the opening game, Megan Phillips scattered five hits in pitching the Fire Ants to the win. She struck out four and didn't walk a batter.

Shelby Nisbett led the Sumter offense with two hits - both doubles - and two runs batted in. Taylor Vance had three hits and scored a run. Alexis Lyles and Carrie Edwards also scored runs.

In the second game, Sumter pounded out 15 hits. Jayla Cowell had four of them, including two doubles, while scoring three runs.

Nisbet had three hits, one a double, while driving in two runs and scoring twice.

Abigale Hudson had two hits and scored twice, while Vance had two hits, a run and an RBI. Hailey Carter and Kristin Wemes both drove in two runs.

Lyles pitched 4 1/3 innings to get the win. Nisbet pitched the final 2 2/3 innings to get the save.

USC 87

Arkansas 79

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Freshmen reserves Destanni Henderson and Victaria Saxton had career days, scoring 19 points apiece, and No. 16 South Carolina took over in the fourth quarter on Sunday to defeat Arkansas 87-79.

Saxton was perfect, going 7 for 7 from the field and 5 for 5 from the foul line, and grabbed nine rebounds. Henderson was 7 of 11 with two 3-pointers, both in the fourth quarter when she also had a critical 3-point play and scored 12 points. Saxton had 10 points in the fourth quarter when the Gamecocks had their biggest quarter of the season, outscoring Arkansas 35-23.

South Carolina (16-5, 8-1 Southeastern Conference), which has won 12 of 13 overall and 10 straight in the series, was 12 of 21 from the field and 8 of 12 from the foul line in the fourth quarter. Harris finished with 15 points and Alexis Jennings had 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Clemson 67

Wake Forest 34

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) - When Elijah Thomas stays on the floor, good things typically happen for Clemson.

Thomas, the foul prone, 6-foot-9 senior, had 23 points, 10 rebounds and a career-best seven blocks to lead the Tigers to a 64-37 win over Wake Forest on Sunday.

It was Clemson's first time with consecutive wins since late December. Thomas was dominant on both ends of the floor, making 10 of 11 shots for his sixth double-double of the season and 17th of his career. Thomas is also known for picking up early fouls that limit his court time and hamper Clemson's ability to matchup with the Atlantic Coast Conference's best teams.

The Tigers were ranked to start the season, coming off a trip to the NCAA Tournament's round of 16 last March. Expectations were even bigger for a team that returned four senior starters including Thomas. Instead, the Tigers (13-8, 3-5) bumped along the early, yet difficult stretch of league play, losing five of their first six.

Things have turned some this week, the Wake win coming after Tuesday night's decisive 82-69 victory over Pittsburgh.

Fowler wins Phoenix Open

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Rickie Fowler birdied two of his final four holes and overcame a bizarre triple bogey on the 11th hole at rainy TPC Scottsdale to win the Phoenix Open on Sunday.

Leading by five, Fowler took a 7 on the par-4 11th after a chip shot skipped across the green and into the water and a second ball rolled into the water on its own.

Branden Grace took the lead with consecutive birdies, but hit his tee shot into the water on the drivable par-4 17th for a bogey.

Fowler had two-putt birdies on Nos. 15 and 17, then got up-and-down on the 18th for par.

He shot 3-over 74 to finish at 17-under 267 for his fifth PGA Tour victory and second in seven tries with a 54-hole lead. Grace closed with a 69 to finish two shots back.

From staff and wire reports