Box Score AIKEN, S.C.--On an emotional senior day, and in a rare mid-week matinee, 27th-ranked USC Aiken (34-18) jumped out to an early lead and rolled to a 13-2 win over Pfeiffer (24-27) in non-conference baseball action on Wednesday at Roberto Hernandez Stadium. With the victory, the Pacers close out the regular season with 15-straight victories against non-conference foes, finishing with a 20-5 mark.
In a pre-game ceremony, USC Aiken honored seniors:
Zach Cooper,
Josh Eachues,
Marc Joehnk,
Gary Lee,
Adam Lovelace,
Jon Paul,
Darryl Pui,
Chris Sheehan, and
Ben Tankersley.
The Pacers grabbed a quick 4-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a pair of RBI doubles by Sheehan and Eachues. Each time with two on and one out, the duo drove a ball to deep center field to clear the bases. Sheehan finished 2-for-2 with two doubles, two runs scored, and four RBI in his final home game. Eachues added a 3-for-4 day with three RBI.
Jonathan Bolt worked his way into a jam in the third inning, loading the bases on walks and then issuing a free pass on five pitches to Ryan Harju for the Falcons' first run. A slow grounder to
Matt Key at second base was flipped to Bolt covering first just ahead of the runner to end the inning.
Harju went 2-for-3 with one RBI while Bryan Braxton was 2-for-4 as the pair combined for four of the team's five hits in the game.
With the lead cut to 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth, the Pacers' offense erupted for five runs on four hits to push out to a 9-2 advantage. Tying a school record with three hit batsmen in the inning, the Pacers scored when Tankersley was hit by a pitch to force in a run.
Chad Jacobsen slapped a double to center field plating two runs and
Ken Raborn tacked on an RBI single through the right side.
Jacobsen finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored while Raborn chipped in a 2-for-3 day with an RBI.
Mark Yarbrough (4-1) tossed 3.1 innings of scoreless relief of Bolt allowing just two hits and not walking a batter, striking out two for the win.
Nick Fogleman (3-6) suffered the setback for Pfeiffer letting up nine earned runs on six hits and three walks in 4.0 innings of work.
USC Aiken closes out its regular season this weekend in Savannah, Ga. with a Peach Belt Conference series at #29 Armstrong Atlantic State. Saturday's doubleheader begins at 1:00 PM. Pfeiffer returns home to host UNC Pembroke on Saturday at 3:00 PM.
Pfeiffer...................001 100 000 - 2 5 0
#27 USC Aiken......400 502 11x - 13 14 1
E - Joehnk(14). LOB - Falcons 11; Pacers 9. 2B - B.Braxton(14); Tankersley(9); Jacobsen(22); Sheehan 2(17); Eachues(8). HR - Montgomery(1). HBP - D.Brown; Pui 2; Tankersley; Joehnk. SF - Sheehan(3). SB - D.Brown(13); J.Ridenhour(7); Pui(18). CS - R.Harju(3); Pui(5).
