Box Score COLUMBUS, Ga.--Sixth-ranked Columbus State (35-9, 18-7 PBC) smacked five home runs, including three in a five-run eighth inning to rally from a 5-1 deficit and knock off #21 USC Aiken (31-13, 14-8 PBC) 8-5 in Peach Belt Conference baseball on Saturday afternoon at Ragsdale Field. In taking the series opener, the Cougars snapped the Pacers six-game winning streak and handed USCA just their sixth loss in 133 games when leading after seven innings over the past five seasons. Game two of the scheduled doubleheader was postponed until Sunday due to impending severe weather.
USC Aiken opened up a 2-0 lead with RBI singles from
Ben Tankersley and
Chris Sheehan in the second and third innings respectively. Costly base running miscues, however, short-circuited some key scoring opportunities in the middle innings. Both Sheehan and
Chad Jacobsen were picked off second base in the third inning, resulting in just the one run despite three hits and a walk. For the game, the Pacers out-hit Columbus State 13-9, but stranded nine runners on base.
In the fourth and fifth innings,
Zach Cooper and
Ken Raborn were both thrown out at the plate, marking the second out in the fourth and ending the threat in the fifth frame.
Sheehan's sacrifice fly and Tankersley's RBI double to center field increased the Pacer lead to 4-1 after five innings. Tankersley finished 3-for-3 with two RBI while Sheehan added a 2-for-4 day with two RBI and one run scored.
Josh Eachues doubled to right field with two on and one out in the sixth inning, scoring
Marc Joehnk to extend the lead to 5-1. Eachues went 2-for-4 while
Darryl Pui and Jacobsen each had two-hit days.
With one on and one out in the sixth, Brad Linton homered over the wall in left field to slice the margin in half, 5-3. It sparked seven unanswered runs over the final three innings for the Cougars.
Kurt McKee led off the bottom of the eighth with a single up the middle and Drew Candlin followed by crushing an 0-2 pitch over the fence in center field, tying the came at 5-5. After a walk to Linton,
Edwin Keeler came on in relief of
Scott Wandless. Billy Howard sacrificed Linton to second and Rodney Rutherford followed with a two-run blast to left field. David Brown made it back-to-back jacks for Columbus State with a solo shot to right center, capping the five-run outburst.
For Linton, Rutherford, and Brown, the home runs were their only hits of the game as five of the team's nine hits went for long balls. Howard and Candlin were the lone Cougars with multiple hits on the afternoon.
Wandless (6-2) suffered the loss allowing six earned runs on seven hits and two walks, striking out nine in 7.0 innings of work.
Korey Noles was chased after 4.1 innings surrendering four earned runs on nine hits and two walks in the no-decision. Johnny Floyd (3-0) notched the win with 2.2 innings of hitless, scoreless relief.
USC Aiken and Columbus State will conclude their three-game series with a doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 12:00 PM.
#21 USC Aiken...............011 021 000 - 5 13 1
#6 Columbus State.......000 102 05x - 8 9 0
E - Spivey(13). DP - Pacers 1. LOB - Pacers 9; Cougars 4. 2B - Eachues(7); Tankersley(8); Bianco(5). HR - Candlin(7); Linton(8); Howard(3); Rutherford(8); Brown(4). HBP - McKee. SH - Eachues(4); Cooper(7); Tankersley(13); Joehnk(11); Howard(3). SF - Sheehan(2).
