Box Score AIKEN, S.C.--USC Upstate (21-14, 8-10 PBC) grabbed an early 5-0 advantage and managed to keep the ninth-ranked USC Aiken Pacers (23-9, 11-4 PBC) at arms-length all afternoon in posting the 8-4 win in Peach Belt Conference baseball action on Sunday at Roberto Hernandez Stadium. The win completes the historic sweep for the Spartans who had never before in 16 years of PBC play swept the Pacers in Aiken.
Despite just the second-ever sweep at the hands of the Spartans, the first happened in 2004 in Spartanburg, USC Aiken holds a 36-17 advantage in the all-time series that is now likely over. USC Upstate departs for the Division I ranks starting next season.
Andrew Runion got the Spartans on the board in the first inning with a one-out double to left center scoring John Caddell from second base. Runion finished 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored while Caddell added a 2-for-5 day from the lead-off position. Seven of nine Spartans had hits on the day.
Mistakes plagued the Pacers in the early going as three errors in the first two innings translated to a 3-0 hole.
Caddell's two-out RBI single to right field in the fourth expanded the spread to 5-0 for USC Upstate.
In the fifth inning, the Pacers finally got on the board with
Ken Raborn's RBI double over the center fielder's head. Each of the next three innings, the Pacers plated one run, but were never able to break open a big inning. For the game, USC Aiken stranded 14 runners on base.
Ben Tankersley recorded a sacrifice fly in the sixth,
Josh Eachues tripled to left center to drive in a run in the seventh, and
Chad Jacobsen doubled home
Darryl Pui in the eighth, but a couple of late insurance runs by the Spartans sealed the 8-4 victory.
Eachues finished 3-for-5 while Jacobsen, Raborn, and
Chris Sheehan each added two hits on the afternoon.
On the mound,
Beau Hill (5-1) suffered his first loss of the year allowing six runs, four earned, on nine hits and four walks, fanning two in 7.0 innings of work.
Kyle Bowley (2-2) scattered eight hits and two walks over 5.1 innings, but stayed out of trouble allowing just two runs, one earned, and striking out six in the win. Justin Hayes (2) worked the final 2.2 innings for the save.
USC Aiken will host Anderson University on Tuesday, March 27 at 6:00 PM at Roberto Hernandez Stadium. USC Upstate will play at Mars Hill College, also on Tuesday, at 2:30 PM for their next action.
USC Upstate.........210 201 011 - 8 12 1
#9 USC Aiken.......000 011 110 - 4 14 4
E - Rollins(10); Raborn(11); Spivey(8); Hill, B. 2(2). LOB - Spartans 11; Pacers 14. 2B - Runion 2(10); Jacobsen(14); Raborn(9); Spivey(1). 3B - Eachues(1). HBP - Tanner. SH - Hansen(3); Guillen(6); Tanner(5); Tankersley(10); Franklin(1). SF - Rollins(2); Tankersley(3).
