Box Score AUGUSTA, GA--Matt Joaquim held the Pacers to just two hits as the 10th ranked Augusta State Jaguars (29-10, 13-6 PBC) rolled past USC Aiken (22-17, 8-11 PBC) by the count of 10-0 in the Peach Belt Conference baseball series opener on Friday afternoon at Jaguar Field. The 10-run loss represents the largest margin of defeat for USCA against their archrivals since both teams joined the NCAA Division II in 1992.
Augusta State got on the board in a hurry and never looked back, plating four in the bottom of the first. Sam Barth doubled down the left field line pushing across Lee Rose who reached on an error to lead off the inning. Dustin Taylor added an RBI single while Steven Cornett (3) smacked a two-run homer over the left field fence to make it 4-0.
Chris Demons and Garrick McGrath added a pair of RBI singles in the third inning to increase the advantage to 6-0 Jaguars. After two more in the fourth, McGrath (4) led off the fifth with a solo home run to left center. McGrath tacked on a sacrifice fly in the seventh to cap the scoring at 10-0.
McGrath finished 1-for-3 with one run scored and three RBI. Taylor and Demons each went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI while Cornett was 1-for-3 with three RBI.
Daniel Quatararo doubled down the right field line in the third inning with one out for the Pacers' first hit of the game. But
Ashley Farr grounded out to second base and
Bradley Key lined out to Bennett Mayfield at shortstop to end the inning. Quartararo extended his hitting streak to 16 games.
USCA managed just six base runners all game including two over the final 5.0 innings, a Michael Cunningham single in the seventh and a
Robert Davis walk in the ninth.
Joaquim (3-0) allowed just two hits and two walks in the complete-game shutout, striking out six.
Wes McColl (2-4) was chased one out into the third inning after giving up six runs, five earned, on six hits in the loss.
Chad McMurray worked 1.0 inning allowing two earned runs on two hits and one walk.
Jon Paul finished up the final two outs of the fourth surrendering one more run on one hit and one walk.
Paul Ferrell tossed 3.0 effective innings allowing one earned run on one hit.
Trey Williams pitched the eighth, striking out one and walking one, recording three outs in facing four batters.
USC Aiken and Augusta State will conclude their three-game conference series tomorrow, Saturday with a doubleheader at Jaguar Field beginning at 12:30 PM.
USC Aiken........................000 000 000 - 0 2 1
#10 Augusta State..........402 210 10x - 10 10 1
E - Hanks; McGrath. DP - ASU 1. LOB - USC Aiken 5; ASU 6. 2B - Quartararo(11); Rose(4); Barth(14); Kelley(10). 3B - Mayfield(4); Demons(4). HR - Cornett(3); McGrath(4). HBP - Rose; Barth. SH - Mayfield; Cornett. SF - McGrath(7). SB - Demons(13).
