Box Score GREENWOOD, SC--USC Aiken (11-12, 5-7 PBC) scored one run in the first inning, but failed to plate another one in the final eight innings in falling to the 18th ranked Lander Bearcats (21-5, 7-5 PBC) 4-1 on Sunday afternoon at Legion Field in Greenwood, S.C. Lander takes the Peach Belt Conference baseball series 2-1, their first series win against the Pacers since the 1999 season.
USCA got off to a good start when
Ashley Farr reached on a error by the second baseman and
Daniel Quartararo, who also reached on a Lander miscue, came around to score to make it 1-0.
Robert Davis added a two-out triple to right center, but
Bradley Key grounded out to the shortstop to end the inning.
Farr, Davis, and
Brandon Barenie each went 2-for-4 to lead the Pacers at the plate who, for the third straight game, out hit the Bearcats 9-8.
Tony Hanks and
Bob Hatcher finished 1-for-4 but each had a double.
Key, the current Peach Belt Conference Player of the Week, was 1-for-3 extending his hitting streak to 14 games.
The Bearcats quickly jumped on top of the Pacers in their half of the first with a pair of runs on two hits and two costly errors to stake a 2-1 advantage. Justin Dickson had an RBI ground out with the bases loaded to push across one run while David Walton scored on an error on Roeder's ground ball.
Lander added two insurance runs in the third as Jeff Whitfield doubled home Roeder and Dickson to make it 4-1.
David Wilson (5-0) notched the complete-game win scattering nine hits, allowing just one unearned run, striking out four and not issuing a walk.
Wes McColl (1-2) also went the distance for the Pacers giving up four runs, three earned, on eight hits and one walk, striking out one in the loss.
Whitfield finished 1-for-3 with two RBI while Greg Smith was 2-for-4 with one run scored for Lander.
USC Aiken returns home to host Barton College in a two-game non-conference series starting Tuesday, March 16 at 6:00 PM at Roberto Hernandez Stadium.
USC Aiken........100 000 000 - 1 9 4
#18 Lander.......202 000 00x - 4 8 3
E - Quartararo; Key; Hanks 2; Smith; Walton 2. LOB - Pacers 9; Bearcats 9. 2B - Hanks(6); Hatcher(3); Whitfield. 3B - Davis(1). HBP - Whitfield. SH - Cooper(3). CS - Farr.
