Box Score AIKEN, SC--Senior outfielder
Ashley Farr had his second 4-for-4 night with a pair of long balls in the past four days as USC Aiken (17-14) routed West Virginia State (20-8) 16-4 in non-conference baseball action on Saturday night before 410 fans at Roberto Hernandez Stadium. USCA improved to 6-0 all-time versus the Yellow Jackets and have now won six of their last seven overall and 10 of their last 12 at home.
The 16 runs scored by the Pacers was the second most this season while it was the largest total surrendered by West Virginia State, surpassing a pair of losses to Divison I schools, 14-0 at Ohio University and 10-3 to Marshall University.
USCA started quickly and never let up, plating three runs in each of the first two innings. Farr, the reigning Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year and two-time First-Team All-American, homered to right field with
Zach Cooper on second in the first inning.
Chris Sheehan added an RBI double to make it 3-0. Farr finished with three RBI and four runs scored.
In the second inning,
Robert Davis provided the fireworks. With two outs and the bases loaded, Davis worked the count to 3-1 against Justin Clyde. Davis took the 3-1 pitch to the gap in right center, clearing the bases with the stand-up double to give the Pacers the 6-0 advantage. Davis was 3-for-5 with four RBI and three runs scored.
Clyde (3-1) entered the game with a perfect 3-0 record and a miniscual 0.64 ERA in 28.0 innings pitched. He was chased, however, after 5.0 innings allowing eight earned runs on eight hits and three walks, striking out five in the loss. In relief, Zack Leskanic did not fare much better giving up seven earned runs on nine hits and two walks in 2.1 innings. Gerald Hager walked two and allowed one unearned run in recording the final two outs of the eighth.
Tony Hanks' sac fly in the third followed by Farr's (7) second homer in the fourth gave USCA an 8-0 lead.
Andy Maught's RBI single to left center and Ryan Taylor's RBI double to right field finally got the Yellow Jackets on the board in the sixth to trim the margin to 8-2.
After the Pacers pushed across two more in the seventh on
Justin Williams' RBI single and an RBI base knock up the middle from
Daniel Quartararo made it 10-2, WVSC countered with two runs in the eighth. Robert Flinn singled through the right side to plate Taylor while Anthony Courts registered a sac fly.
Gerrad Talkington was the lone player for West Virginia State to have a multi-hit night going 2-for-4.
With all 16 position players seeing action for the Pacers, USCA tacked on six more runs in the eighth to set the final margin at 16-4. Quartararo was 2-for-5 for the Pacers. Ten Pacers recorded hits while 10 also drove in at least one run.
Steve Dunham (2-6) picked up his second-straight win scattering seven hits and one walk in 7.0 innings of work, allowing two earned runs and striking out six.
Harold Sofield,
Trey Williams, and
Chris Wilson finished out the final 2.0 innings in relief.
USC Aiken and West Virginia State will play the final contest of their three-game series tomorrow at 1:00 PM.
West Virginia State.........000 002 020 - 4 9 2
USC Aiken.........................331 100 26x - 16 17 0
E - Taylor; Southern. DP - Pacers 1. LOB - Jackets 9; Pacers 10. 2B - Taylor(7); Cooper(5); Farr(6); Davis 2(7); Sheehan(8). HR - Farr 2(7). HBP - Maught; Kidder 2;
Cooper. SF - Courts(1); Hanks(4). SB - J. Williams(2). CS - Taylor. Reached on CI - Tripp.
