Box Score JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--Trailing 5-4 in the seventh, USC Aiken (36-14, 13-11 PBC) loaded the bases with no outs, but were unable to capitalize on the opportunity eventually falling to third-ranked North Florida (36-11, 20-7 PBC) 7-4 in Peach Belt Conference baseball action on Sunday afternoon. The Ospreys complete the three-game sweep of the eighth-ranked Pacers in the key conference series.
USCA entered the weekend with a chance to take over first-place in the conference standings. Instead, the Pacers slipped back to fourth and UNF needs just one win over Augusta State in their first PBC series to clinch at least a share of their third-straight conference championship. Hoping for their first NCAA regional bid in a dozen years, the Pacers have six conference games remaining.
North Florida jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the second inning thanks to a one-out solo home run by Marion Knowles and an RBI single off the bat of Mike Fryrear.
The Pacers cut the deficit in half in the third on an RBI single to left field by
Casey Derhak scoring
Scott Wandless from second base. But UNF tacked on three more capped by a two-run blast by Sadry Cafe in the fifth making it 5-1.
Scoring a pair of unearned runs in the sixth tightened things up, trimming the margin to 5-3.
Steven Kinney singled home Derhak while
Marc Joehnk's RBI ground out drove in
Robert Davis.
The seventh inning proved to be the decision frame of the game.
Darryl Pui and Wandless led off with singles and
Zach Cooper drew a walk to load the bases. Brooks West came on in relief of starter Jacob Dixon and walked the only man he faced, Derhak, to make it a one run game 5-4.
Still with the bases loaded and no one out,
Daniel Quartararo grounded into a 5-2-3 double play and Davis grounded out to the pitcher to end the threat.
Matt Oxendine added a two-run homer to left center in the seventh for insurance, setting the final margin at 7-4.
Oxendine finished 3-for-4 while Brennan Grogan, Knowles, and Fryrear each tallied two of the team's 12 hits.
Wandless was the lone Pacer with a multi-hit day going 2-for-4 while Derhak recorded a team-high two RBI finishing 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base.
Peden Rucker (4-3) gave up seven earned runs on 12 hits and one walk, fanning five in 6.2 innings in the loss.
Nick Wandless tossed the final 1.1 innings, striking out two of the minimum four hitters he faced.
Dixon (4-3) earned the win allowing four runs, two earned, on seven hits and one walk, striking out seven. Josh Papelbon (10) worked a near flawless 3.0 innings not allowing a hit or a walk for the save.
USC Aiken will now break for final exams. The Pacers will return to action in two weeks when they travel to Savannah, Ga. to take on Armstrong Atlantic State beginning Friday, May 6 at 3:00 PM.
#8 USC Aiken................001 002 100 - 4 7 0
#3 North Florida...........020 120 20x - 7 12 1
E - Oxendine(12). DP - USCA 2; UNF 1. LOB - USCA 5; UNF 5. 2B - Oxendine(9); Knowles(7). HR - Oxendine(3); Cafe(9); Knowles(13). HBP - Fryrear. SB - Derhak(14); S. Wandless(1); Grogan(21); Howard(19); Fryrear(2).
