AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken softball team entered Monday's Peach Belt Conference doubleheader clinging to a spot in the 2011 PBC Softball Tournament, looking for at least one win to solidify their position in the field of eight. The Pacers (26-14, 9-11 PBC) were able to acquire two wins over a quality Columbus State squad (36-14, 12-8 PBC), 4-2 and 4-3, at J.H. Satcher Field in their regular season finale to guarantee themselves a spot in the league tournament this coming weekend in Florence, S.C.
The Pacers entered the final doubleheader of the season in a tie with tournament host Francis Marion for the eighth and final spot in the tournament field. With their game-one 4-2 victory over the Cougars, and thanks in part to the Patriots dropping their first game to North Georgia Monday afternoon, USC Aiken guaranteed themselves a shot at making another run through the league tournament.
USC Aiken claimed an early 2-0 lead in the first game in the third inning, but Columbus State knotted the score in the very next inning.
Knowing her team's season was on the ropes, sophomore Kelley King (Chesterfield, S.C./Chesterfield) stepped up big as the leadoff batter in the bottom of the fourth inning. King slapped a home run well over the right-centerfield fence to give the lead back to the Pacers, and essentially win the game.
Lindsey Jones (North Augusta, S.C./North Augusta) added an insurance run for the Pacers in the sixth inning to secure the win when she found her way home off a squeeze bunt by Brandy Bossle (North East, Md./Rising Sun).
Kayla Denham (Palatka, Fla./Daytona State), King and Bossle all went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead USC Aiken in out-hitting Columbus State 10-2 in game one with King and Bossle securing an RBI each. Brittney Williamson (Lexington, S.C./White Knoll) and Lauren Locklear (Charleston, S.C./Wando) had the other two runs for the Pacers.
India Kornegay (Eufaula, Ala./Eufaula) appeared to be back to her earlier season form as she fanned 10 batters, including the final batter of the contest, and gave up just two hits to improve to 13-6 for the season.
Kelsey Gilliam suffered the loss in the circle for the Cougars to fall to 10-6.
Despite having a little bit of pressure lifted off their shoulders heading into the second game, the Pacers wanted to send a statement to the rest of the conference and secure their trip to Florence.
The Cougars scored the first run of the game to go up 1-0, but USC Aiken answered with a pair of runs to take the lead in the bottom of the inning.
Columbus State tied and then retook the one-run lead in the fifth inning off two one-run innings in the fourth and fifth, but the feisty Pacers would not go quietly and flexed their muscle late in the game to overcome three costly errors.
In the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs registered and still down 3-2, Locklear spurred a late charge by the Pacers with a double through the right side to put herself in prime scoring position.
Kylee Knop (Oxford, Ga./Kirkwood) stepped to the plate and delivered a double of her own down the opposite foul line to score Locklear and tie the game.
Not content to send the game into extra innings, Denham secured the winning RBI for the Pacers with the team's third double in a row, this time to the gap in left-center field, driving Knop home for the winning run.
Knop and Denham went an identical 2-for-3 in the second game with a pair of RBIs each and Knop scoring two runs to lead the Pacers to victory.
After Kornegay gutted through five and a third more innings, striking out eight more batters in the second game, Knop (5-7) entered the game to give the freshman hurler a breather and secure the win.
Erin Tyson suffered the loss for Columbus State in game two to fall to 3-2 for the year.
USC Aiken will now look to prepare for the conference tournament this weekend, though final seedings are yet to be determined.
The Pacers made a late surge through the double-elimination tournament in 2010 after falling in the second round to tournament host Francis Marion after acquiring a win over rival Augusta State in the opening game. USC Aiken went on from there to down Lander and Armstrong Atlantic State before the Patriots ended the Pacers' 2010 season with a narrow 5-4 defeat in the semifinal round.
