Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 GREENWOOD, SC--USC Aiken (11-11, 5-6 PBC) and the 18th ranked Lander Bearcats (20-5, 6-5 PBC) split a Peach Belt Conference baseball doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Legion Field in Greenwood, S.C. The Bearcats took game one 4-3 while the Pacers won the nightcap 3-2.
The loss snapped the Pacers four-game winning streak as well as a string of eight-straight wins over Lander. With the split, however, USCA keeps alive its shot of winning its third-straight conference series, the program's longest streak since mid-way through the 2002 season.
In game one, Lander plated two in the second and two more in the fifth to claim a 4-0 lead. Although the Pacers out hit the Bearcats 9-6 for the game, they were unable to plate a run until their last at bats.
In the top of the ninth,
Bradley Key tripled to center field with one out.
Chris Sheehan doubled Key home to make it 4-1. With two outs, Key on third and
Tony Hanks on first,
Brandon Barenie doubled to left center driving in both runners to slice the margin to a single run. Nick Powell, however, got
Daniel Quartararo to strike out looking to end the game.
Key's triple was his fourth of the season, tying the single season record just 22 games into the season. He went 2-for-3 with one run scored. Barenie was 2-for-2 with two RBI.
Steve Dunham (0-6) continued his string of hard luck losses. He tossed his second complete game, allowing four earned runs on six hits and two walks, striking out five. Dunham has a 2.83 ERA on the season, tops among regular starters.
Powell (3-0) worked 8.1 innings scattering seven hits, allowing just one earned run on one walk, striking out nine in the win. Corey Watkins recorded the final two outs of the game, but not before giving up two earned runs on two hits and one walk.
Kyle Whitson paced the Bearcats with a 2-for-3 performance scoring a run and driving in two more.
Ashley Farr's single to center field in the fourth inning gave him 349 total bases in his career, breaking Tavis Cummings' school mark of 348 (1999-2002).
In game two, it was the Pacers grabbing the lead and having to hold off a Lander rally for the 3-2 win.
All of the Pacers' scoring came in the three-run third inning. Singles by
Bob Hatcher and Quartararo set up a two-RBI triple to right field by freshman
Zach Cooper to give USCA a 2-0 lead. Farr's sacrifice fly plated Cooper to make it 3-0.
Lander responded in the fourth inning with an RBI single by Justin Dickson to cut it to a two-run margin. David Walton scored on a wild pitch to reduce the lead to 3-2, but Derek Claussen got Whitson to strike out and Jeff Whitfield to foul out to Matt Tripp at first base.
Claussen (2-1) went 6.1 innings allowing two earned runs on three hits and four walks, striking out three in the win.
Nick Wandless sat down both batters he faced in the seventh and final inning, including one with a strike out, for his first save.
David Glover (5-1) gave up three earned runs on six hits and one walk, striking out five in losing for the first time in six decisions.
Quartararo and Key each went 2-for-3 for USCA while Cooper was 1-for-2 with one run scored and two RBI. Key extended his hitting streak to 13 games.
USCA and Lander will face off at 1:00 PM on Sunday in the rubber game of the series.
GAME ONE
USC Aiken.........000 000 003 - 3 9 2
#18 Lander........020 020 00x - 4 6 0
E - Key; Hanks. DP - Pacers 1; Bearcats 1. LOB - Pacers 7; Bearcats 6. 2B - Key(7); Sheehan(4); Barenie(2); Whitson. 3B - Key(4); Smith. HBP - Spivey; Fenn; Roeder; Whitfield. SH - Reed 2. SB - Cooper(4). CS - Smith; Walton. WP - Dunham; Watkins. HBP - by Dunham (Whitfield); by Dunham (Spivey); by Dunham (Fenn); by Dunham (Roeder).
Boxscore (Game One)
GAME TWO
USC Aiken.........003 000 0 - 3 6 1
#18 Lander........000 200 0 - 2 3 0
E - Quartararo. DP - Bearcats 1. LOB - Pacers 3; Bearcats 5. 2B - Key(8); Spivey. 3B - Cooper(3). SH - Cooper(2). SF - Farr(1).
