Box Score GREENWOOD, S.C. - The 17th-ranked University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team battled down the stretch, but despite five runs in the final two innings the Pacers came up short in a 12-8 Peach Belt Conference loss to Lander on Sunday afternoon at Legion Field.
The loss on Saturday by USC Aiken (13-9, 1-5 PBC) allowed Lander (14-9, 5-0 PBC) to complete a three-game sweep of the Pacers.
USC Aiken has now lost six straight games overall.
Stephen Carmon (Camden, S.C./Camden) kicked off things for the Pacer offense in the top of the first inning by blasting a triple to right field. He was then brought home on a ground out to the Lander third baseman by Josh Miller (Chapin, S.C./Chapin), giving USC Aiken an early 1-0 advantage.
In the bottom half of the first, Lander tied things up when AJ Nunziato homered off Pacer starter Derek Beasley (Harlem, Ga./Harlem).
The score 1-1, USC Aiken scored two runs in the top of the third inning to garner a 3-1 lead.
JJ Loker (Elkton, Va./Spotswood) acquired the first run of the inning for the Pacers when he brought in Teddy Leverett (Evans, Ga./Truett-McConnell), who had hit an infield single to start the inning. One batter later, Kyle Rice (Augusta, Ga./Cross Creek) singled in Carmon for a 3-1 USC Aiken lead.
The complexion of the game would dramatically alter in the bottom of the third inning with Lander scoring four in the frame to earn its first lead of the game at 5-3.
The Bearcats would add five more in the bottom portion of the fourth stanza to go ahead 10-3.
Lander would tack on two more in the bottom of the seventh before Rice belted a two-run home run in the top of the eighth to pull the Pacers back to within seven at 12-5. The home run was the first of the year for Rice.
The Pacers would keep fighting in the top of the ninth. With runners on first and second, Jowan Gray (Aiken, S.C./South Aiken) took advantage of a pinch-hitting opportunity by doubling to right field to score Jeffery Campbell (Spartanburg, S.C./Spartanburg Methodist), who had singled to get on base after coming in as a pinch hitter.
Josh Attaway (Lexington, S.C./Lexington) then singled in two more runs to leave the Pacers behind just four at 12-8.
The two RBI single by Attaway in the end would prove to be the final runs of the day for the Pacers in their four-run loss to Lander.
The Pacers out-hit the Bearcats 16-13 on Sunday.
Four different Pacers recorded multiple hits on Sunday with Carmon and Loker leading the way. Both were 3-for-5 at the dish. Carmon scored two runs, while Loker scored a run and had an RBI.
Leverett and Rice were the final Pacers to collect multiple hits. Leverett was 2-for-5 with a run scored. Rice was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
The Bearcats also had four players finish with multiple hits with Erik Lunde, Jordan Owens, Jeff May and Alan Abreu all acquiring two hits.
Lander's Brandon Farquhar obtained the win on the mound by dealing the first six innings. He allowed nine hits and three runs, but he also struck out seven Pacers. He is now 2-0 on the year.
One of seven Pacer pitchers used on Sunday, Beasley took the loss to fall to 2-3 on the season. He pitched 2.2 innings, allowing five runs.
USC Aiken will next return home for a non-conference showdown with in-state rival Anderson at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16. The contest will be able to be followed live on USC Aiken's official athletic website at www.PacerSports.com.
