Box Score AIKEN, S.C. – The sixth-ranked USC Aiken Pacers opened up their 2009 season with a dominating 15-6 victory over Wingate on Sunday afternoon at Roberto Hernandez Stadium.
The Pacers (1-0) and Bulldogs (0-1) combined for 38 hits in the game with USC Aiken collecting 21 hits in the contest.
A preseason All-Peach Belt Conference selection prior to the start of the 2009 season, USC Aiken senior
Ken Raborn (Evans, Ga./Evans) showed why he was thought of so highly in the game as he finished the victory a perfect 5-for-5 from the plate. The Pacer first baseman, Raborn had a grand total of five RBIs in the game. He also scored three runs.
Stellar sophomore
Nick Aranas (Lexington, S.C./Lexington) also showed why the USC Aiken corner infielders are looked upon so prominently as the third baseman tied Raborn for game-high honors with five RBIs. Aranas was 3-for-4 from the plate in total. He also scored three runs in the victory.
USC Aiken catcher
John Sherrer (LaGrange, Ga./LaGrange) was the third Pacer to tally three or more hits in the resounding victory. Sherrer scored three runs on a 3-for-4 hitting performance in the victory over the Bulldogs.
In total, USC Aiken had five players acquire multiple hits. Leftfielder
Jamie Benjamin (Alpharetta, Ga./Southern Union CC) and centerfielder
Cody McMorris (Canton, Ga./Southern Union CC) both had two hits in the game. Benjamin picked up two RBIs in the win, while McMorris scored twice.
Jacob Karr guided the Wingate effort at the plate. Karr was 3-for-4 with one run scored. He was one of two Bulldogs to muster three hits with Casey Allison also picking up three hits in the game.
In his debut appearance on the mound, USC Aiken starter
Clayton Knight (Goose Creek, S.C./Anderson) pitched four solid innings. Knight struck out two in his four innings, but since he only pitched four innings he could not pick up the win in the game.
That honor went to
Jeremy Smith (Minter, Ala./Southern Union CC), who pitched three innings in relief of Knight. Smith (1-0) fanned four in his three innings on the hill.
Wingate starter Dusty White (0-1) was credited with the loss. White pitched just 2.1 innings and gave up seven hits and five earned runs.
Down 2-0 in the bottom of the third inning, the Pacers responded to Wingate's two runs in the top half of the stanza by scoring its first five runs of the year in their portion of their frame.
Raborn got things rolling for the Pacers in the inning by doubling to left centerfield to score McMorris and Sherrer.
A couple batters later,
Travis Howard (Bonneau, S.C./USC Salkehatchie) had singled to right center to leave runners on the corners for USC Aiken. Aranas took advantage of the situation by belting a three-run tater next to give USC Aiken a three-run lead at 5-2.
The Bulldogs earned one run back in the top half of the fourth, but Aranas and the Pacers extended their lead to four in the bottom half of the inning. Aranas picked up his fourth RBI of the game in the frame when he blasted a double that scored Raborn from first base.
???????Aranas then scored a run of his own to give USC Aiken a 7-3 lead when he scored on a passed ball.
The Pacer advantage was six an inning later after Raborn blasted a home run of his own to left centerfield to give USC Aiken a 9-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning.
USC Aiken opportunistically plated two more in the inning to go on top by eight after an error by the Wingate leftfielder put two Pacers in scoring position. Benjamin took advantage of the misplay by scoring Aranas and Howard to garner USCA an 11-3 lead at the end of the fifth inning.
Matt Key (New Ellenton, S.C./Silver Bluff) gave USC Aiken a nine-run lead in the game when he singled to right center to score Sherrer from second base. Raborn picked up his fifth RBI of the contest on a single up the middle next that scored McMorris from third base. The McMorris run earned USCA its first double-digit lead of the game at 13-3.
???????Aranas tallied his fifth RBI of the contest shortly thereafter, giving USC Aiken an 11-run lead. Aranas sacrificed to right field to score Key.
The Bulldogs were able to plate three runs in the top of the seventh to cut the Pacer lead to eight runs at 14-6. The Pacers gained one of the runs back in the bottom of the eighth when
Alex Franklin (North Augusta, S.C./North Augusta) jumped on Wingate reliever Brian Karcewski's pitch, sending the ball over the left field fence for USC Aiken's third home run of the contest. The solo home run set the score at 15-6 in favor of USCA.
The Bulldogs struck first in the contest, scoring two runs in the top of the third inning. Chris Vasquez scored the opening run of the game for Wingate when with the bases loaded he was able to score from third on an infield RBI for Mark Letchworth.
The bases still jammed, Wingate plated its second run of the game next when Heath Weatherford singled up the middle to score Logan Isaacs from third base. The sharply hit ball by Weatherford looked as if it would score a second Bulldog from second base, but McMorris had other ideas, gunning down Wingate's Jacob Karr at home plate to thwart Wingate's ideas of a third run in the top half of the third frame.
???????The Pacers stay at home next for a three-game series against Wingate's fellow South Atlantic Conference institution, Lincoln Memorial. The three-game series starts with a 4 p.m. contest on Friday, Feb. 6. The Pacers and Railsplitters will play one game each at 1 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 7) and Sunday (Feb. 8).
