Box Score AIKEN, S.C.--
Zach Cooper and
Steven Kinney each hit three-run home runs and
Ian Kowalchuk was 3-for-4 at the plate as the eighth-ranked USC Aiken Pacers (36-11) rolled past North Greenville (8-37) 10-4 on Wednesday night in non-conference baseball action at Roberto Hernandez Stadium. The Pacers improve to 30-1 when scoring six or more runs and finish their non-conference season at 23-3.
North Greenville tallied the first two runs of the game, the first coming in the first when Jasteven Tate's RBI grounded scored Travis Brown who led off the game with a double to center field. Carlos Cardenas began the second with a solo shot over the wall in left to make it 2-0.
The Pacers finally got rolling in the third when
Justin Williams drew a leadoff walk, stole second, and then Kowalchuk had an infield single to shortstop to put runners on the corners with one out. Cooper stepped in a crushed a three-run blast over the left field wall to put the Pacers in front 3-2.
The Crusaders promptly tied the game at 3-3 in the third on an infield single off the bat of Tate. But the Pacers reclaimed the lead for good in the bottom of the inning highlighted by a three-run homer over the right field wall by Kinney making it 6-3. Kowalchuk tacked on an RBI single through the left side scoring
Brandon Barenie.
Ahead 7-4 entering the home half of the eighth,
Casey Derhak added an RBI single and
Daniel Quartararo a sacrifice fly as USC Aiken put the game away 10-4.
Kowalchuk had one RBI and two runs scored to go with a game-high three hits. Cooper and Kinney each had just the one hit but accounted for six RBI. Derhak and
Robert Davis added two hits each.
Brown, Tate, Cardenas, and Vince DiMarco tallied two hits each for the Crusaders.
Jerod Summer (3-0) picked up is third win of the season scattering seven hits and one walk over 5.0 innings allowing four runs, three earned, striking out one. Four Pacer relievers combined to hold the Crusaders to one hit and one walk over the final 4.0 innings, striking out four.
Seth Montgomery (0-1) tossed 7.1 innings surrendering 10 runs, eight earned, on 12 hits and two walks in the loss for North Greenville.
USC Aiken will travel to Jacksonville, Fla. this weekend for a huge Peach Belt Conference series with conference leader #3 North Florida starting Saturday, April 23 with a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 PM.
North Greenville.........111 010 000 - 4 8 2
#8 USC Aiken..............034 000 03x - 10 12 2
E - DiMarco; A. Johnson; Derhak(17); Hatcher(2). DP - Crusaders 1; Pacers 2. LOB - Crusaders 6; Pacers 5. 2B - Brown; Tate; Cardenas; Davis(18). HR - Cardenas; Kinney(5); Cooper(3). HBP - DiMarco; Barenie. SH - Cooper(6). SF - Quartararo(2). SB - Derhak(13). CS - Kinney(1).
