Box Score AIKEN, S.C.--
Zach Cooper chose the perfect time to hit his first career home run as the sophomore center fielder planted a two-run blast off the scoreboard in left field to tie up the game 5-5 with one out in the bottom of the ninth.
Daniel Quartararo doubled home
Casey Derhak for the game winner as #17 USC Aiken (22-7) rallied to knock off #25 West Virginia State (14-8) 6-5 in non-conference baseball action on Friday night at Roberto Hernandez Stadium.
The Pacers, winners of 11 of their last 12, improve to 8-0 all-time versus the Yellow Jackets. USCA, now 9-4 versus teams ranked in the top 30, also got to that magical run total of six where they are now 18-0 when scoring that many runs.
An old-fashioned pitchers' duel through eight full innings, each team had just two runs to show. The Yellow Jackets grabbed the 1-0 lead in the fourth on a Justin Gray sacrifice fly, but the Pacers answered in the fifth when Cooper legged out a potential inning ending double play ball grounded to second to allow Matt Tripp to score.
Kyle Jones' bloop single just over the heads of the left side infielders with the bases loaded brought around Kevin Goode to score the game's only unearned run.
USCA, however, got it back in the home half of the eighth after Derhak led off with a single, was sacrificed to second by Quartararo, and then doubled around by
Robert Davis to tie it up at 2-2.
Derhak extended his hitting streak to 14 games going 2-for-5 and scoring two runs. Quartararo was 3-for-4 while
Marc Joehnk added a 2-for-4 night for the Pacers. Cooper's only hit of the game was the big fly in the ninth.
Bobby White worked into a jam in the ninth on in relief of
Steve Dunham walking the bases loaded with one out. Joshua Miller and Willis Brandenburg had RBI singles while Gray recorded another sac fly to make it 5-2 Yellow Jackets.
With their backs against the wall, the Pacers came out swinging. After a lead off walk to pinch hitter
Steven Kinney,
Justin Williams, also pinch hitting, belted a double off the wall in right center scoring Kinney, but got gunned down trying to stretch it into a triple. After Joehnk singled through the left side, Cooper stepped in and crushed the game-tying homer off the scoreboard, making it 5-5.
Derhak followed with a single to left field and Quartararo doubled in the game winner to right center.
Ryan Taylor, Goode, and Miller all tallied two hits for West Virginia State.
On the mound, Dunham scattered nine hits, allowing just two runs, one earned, over 7.2 innings fanning five and walking three in the no decision.
Nick Wandless (2-0) worked out of the jam in the ninth for the win.
Zachary Baldwin held the Pacers in check over 8.0 innings giving up two earned runs on seven hits and one walk, striking out six in the no decision. Joe Loncar (1-1) was blasted for four earned runs on four hits and one walk in 0.1 of an inning in the loss.
USC Aiken and West Virginia State will conclude their series with a doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 1:00 PM.
#25 West Virginia State.......000 100 013 - 5 11 0
#17 USC Aiken.......................000 010 014 - 6 12 1
E - Tripp(1). LOB - Jackets 12; Pacers 7. 2B - Kidder(1); Quartararo 2(9); Davis(10); Tripp(2); Jones(2); J. Williams(2). 3B - Taylor(1). HR - Cooper(1). SH - Quartararo(4). SF - Gray 2(2).
