Box Score AIKEN, SC--Second baseman
Daniel Quartararo slapped a 2-2 pitch to right center with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the game tied 5-5 to score
Brandon Barenie from third to give USC Aiken (13-13, 6-7 PBC) a 6-5 win over 16th ranked Georgia College & State University (16-10, 4-6 PBC) on Friday night at Roberto Hernandez Stadium in Peach Belt Conference baseball action.
The win snapped the Pacers' nine-game losing streak to the Bobcats and erased USCA's 0-4 mark in PBC series openers this season. The Pacers have now won three-straight conference games at the friendly confines.
USC Aiken got on the board first with a three-run third inning.
Zach Cooper and
Robert Davis had RBI singles while
Bradley Key added a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0. Davis led the Pacers going 3-for-5 with one run scored and one RBI. Quartararo added a 2-for-3 performance with two RBI, one run scored, and three walks.
Mike Cunningham went 2-for-4.
The hot-hitting Key, coming off a 5-for-5 game with five RBI in Wednesday's 11-7 win over Barton, had just one hit, but it was enough to extend his hitting streak to 17 games.
A Bobcat miscue, with the bases loaded, in the fifth led to Davis scoring to push the margin to 4-0. Quartararo drew a two-out, bases loaded walk from starter Brandon Durden to make it 5-0.
Durden entered the game with a 3-0 record and a 1.35 ERA, but was chased after 6.0 innings giving up five runs, one earned, on 10 hits and four walks, striking out four in the no decision. Tom Kelley (0-1) was solid in relief allowing just one earned run on one hit and two walks, but was the hard-luck loser. Joel Sayre worked the ninth, surrendering the game winning hit to Quartararo.
After the only Pacer error of the game led to the Bobcats' first run in the seventh, GC&SU plated four in the eighth to tie the game. The big blow was a three-run blast by John Caruso (1) just inside the fair poll down the left field line, cutting the advantage to a single run. Then on a heads up play by Nick Trainor, he tagged and scored the game-tying run on a foul out down the first base line by pinch hitter Nick Waldrip.
Unable to score in the eighth, the Pacers turned to the ninth. Barenie drew a leadoff walk from Sayre and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Ian Kowalchuk. After
Tony Hanks was intentionally walked,
Chris Sheehan stepped in and grounded out to second, but avoided the inning-ended double play, to put runners on the corners with two outs. Quartararo battled to a 2-2 count with Sayre before going opposite field for the game winning single.
Wes McColl gave a strong performance going 7.1 innings, scattering seven hits and two walks, striking out five and allowing three earned runs in the no decision.
Nick Wandless (3-0) held the Bobcats to just one hit and one walk over the final 1.2 innings, striking out three for the win.
USC Aiken and #16 GC&SU will conclude their three-game conference series tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 PM at Roberto Hernandez Stadium.
#16 GC&SU..........000 000 140 - 5 8 3
USC Aiken...........003 020 001 - 6 12 1
Note: 2 outs, 2 runners LOB when the game ended.
E - Leger; Habel; Nixon; Barenie. DP - Bobcats 1; Pacers 1. LOB - Bobcats 7; Pacers 14. 2B - Leger(8); Trainor(3). HR - Caruso(1). HBP - Langham; Leger. SH - Benson(1); Cooper(5); Barenie(2); Kowalchuk(1). SF - Waldrip(1); Key(2). SB - Sheehan(2). CS - Habel.
