Box Score AIKEN, SC--The USC Aiken Pacers (18-14) erupted for 11 runs in the bottom of the first inning en route to a 14-5 win over West Virginia State (20-9) in the non-conference baseball series finale on Sunday afternoon at Roberto Hernandez Stadium. A record crowd of 1,025 on Cedar Creek Church "pack-the-park" day witnessed USCA win their fourth-straight game by posting their first three-game sweep of the season.
The Pacers, winners of seven of their last eight overall and 11 of their last 13 at home, improved to 7-0 all-time against the Yellow Jackets.
USCA sent 16 batters to the plate in the first inning as every player in the lineup had a hit in the first. The Pacers set school records for most hits in an inning with 12 and most RBI in an inning with 11.
Bradley Key,
Ashley Farr, and
Chris Sheehan each had two hits in the inning while
Tony Hanks and
Zach Cooper provided the largest portion of the scoring punch with a pair of two-RBI singles. The first 15 hits for USCA were singles and out of the game total of 19 hits, Key's double in the fifth was the only extra base hit.
Key went 4-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored.
Daniel Quartararo was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and three walks. Farr,
Robert Davis, Sheehan, Matt Tripp, Hanks, and
Justin Williams each pounded out two hits for USCA on the day.
In the third inning, Key's single through the left side of the infield plated two runs while Williams tacked on the final run of the game in the sixth on an RBI single back up the middle plating Tripp to make it 14-5.
West Virginia State got off to its best start in the three-game series with three runs in the top of the first. Andy Maught (8) cranked his third homer of the series, a three-run blast to left field to make it 3-0. Maught added an RBI single in the second while David Rowsey had an RBI double in the third to cap the Yellow Jacket scoring.
Maught went 3-for-5 with four RBI and one run scored while Rowsey was 3-for-4 with an RBI for West Virginia State.
Derek Claussen gave up four earned runs on seven hits and one walk in 2.0 innings in the no decision.
Paul Ferrell (2-0) worked 1.2 innings of relief, holding the Yellow Jackets without a hit, walking one and fanning one in the victory. USCA sent six hurlers to the hill.
Nicholas Biron (2-1) did not make it out of the first inning surrendering five earned runs on five hits in six batters faced in the loss. Matt Tomblin recorded the final two outs of the inning but not before allowing six more earned runs on seven hits and one walk. Six additional pitchers would see action for WVSC over the final 7.0 innings.
USC Aiken will play at Newberry on Tuesday, March 30 at 6:00 PM before returning home to host North Greenville in the first of a two-game set on Wednesday, March 31 at 6:30 PM. West Virginia State will return home to Institute, W.V. to host Fairmont State on March 30 in a WVIAC conference doubleheader beginning at 1:00 PM.
West Virginia State.........311 000 000 - 5 13 2
USC Aiken........................(11)02 001 00x - 14 19 0
E - Adkins; Gray. DP - Jackets 2; Pacers 1. LOB - Jackets 12; Pacers 9. 2B - Rowsey(1); Key(13). HR - Maught(8). HBP - Southern; Farr; Sheehan. SB - Quartararo(4); Farr(5); J. Williams(3).
