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Box Score 2 ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The nationally fourth-ranked University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team completed a Peach Belt Conference series sweep of Flagler on Sunday at Drysdale Field.
In a game that started almost 20 hours before it was completed on Sunday, USC Aiken obtained a 5-2 win in the suspended game from Saturday, Mar. 31.
USC Aiken (25-9, 15-6 PBC) followed the first game victory by acquiring a dominating 18-10 win in the second game. The Pacers claimed a 4-1 win over Flagler (20-14, 9-9 PBC) in the third game.
USC Aiken scored the first four runs of game one on Saturday in the top of the second inning.
Ty Barkell (Denver, Colo./Palmer Ridge) started the inning for USC Aiken by singling up the middle.
Shortly thereafter, the bases were loaded for the Pacers. Barkell was then brought home on a passed ball to garner USC Aiken a 1-0 lead.
With runners at second and third, Josh Miller (Chapin, S.C./Chapin) then belted a three-run home run.
Immediately after Miller's three-run jack, Nick Aranas (Lexington, S.C./Lexington) became USC Aiken's all-time leading hitter with a single up the middle. The single was Aranas' 290th hit as a Pacer.
The game was then halted in the top of the fifth on Saturday.
The Pacers scored their lone run of the continued first game on Sunday in the top of the ninth inning. Stephen Carmon (Camden, S.C./Camden) started the inning for USC Aiken by claiming an infield single. A bunt single by Miller then gave USC Aiken runners at first and second with no outs. Shortly thereafter, the duo stole second and third to place two in scoring position.
Aranas took advantage of the situation by singling through the left side to bring Carmon home for the Pacers' fifth run of the contest.
Flagler would add a run in the bottom half of the ninth, but it would not be enough.
USC Aiken out-hit Flagler, 13-8, in the first game. Three Pacers finished with three hits in the game with Carmon, Miller and Tyler Bourdo (Evans, Ga./Truett-McConnell College) all ending the contest with three hits.
Thomas McLeod (Chapin, S.C./Chapin) acquired the win for USC Aiken in relief of original starter Kelly Holt (Stockbridge, Ga./Middle Georgia), who pitched the first four innings of the game on Saturday. McLeod (2-0) struck out three in his five innings on the hill.
Danny Brown (2-1) suffered the loss for Flagler. He allowed four Pacer runs in four innings on the mound.
The second game began with Flagler owning a 5-4 lead entering the top of the fourth inning.
The complexion of the contest completely changed over the next two innings with the Pacers placing a combined 12 runs on the scoreboard in the fourth and fifth innings.
Aranas claimed seven of the 12 runs for the Pacers on back-to-back home runs. Aranas belted a three-run home run in the fourth before blasting a grand slam in the fifth.
USC Aiken would add another two runs in the top of the seventh with Aranas collecting USC Aiken's 18th run of the game by singling in JJ Loker (Elkton, Va./Spotswood).
The Pacers finished with three more hits than Flagler at 20-17 in game two.
Aranas concluded the game a perfect 5-for-5 at the dish. His five hits tied a school record.
Aranas' eight RBIs in the second game win set a new school single game standard in the category.
Bill Gerstenslager (Solon, Ohio/Mercyhurst) was 4-for-5 for the Pacers in the second game win. He had three RBIs to go along with two runs scored.
Carmon ended game two with one stolen base. The stolen base was the 88th of his career. He is now USC Aiken's all-time leader in stolen bases.
Ryan Milewski garnered the win for USC Aiken in game two on the hill. Milewski (5-0) fanned four in seven innings on the mound.
Flagler's Jonathan Arnold (5-3) allowed 10 runs in 3.1 innings to suffer the loss.
Brett Moreland led Flagler in game two at the dish where he was 3-for-6.
Derek Beasley (Harlem, Ga./Harlem) was the story for USC Aiken in game three.
Beasley (6-2) hurled a complete game, striking out eight. He allowed just three hits and one unearned run.
In the third game, USC Aiken would find all the offense it needed behind two two-run innings.
After plating two in the top of the fourth, a two-run home run from Will Tankersley (Thomson, Ga./Thomson) in the sixth led to USC Aiken garnering a 4-0 advantage.
Flagler would score its lone run in the bottom of the eighth.
Aranas and Tankersley guided the Pacers at the dish in game three with each collecting two hits.
No Flagler player was able to secure multiple hits in game three.
Jack Charleston (1-4) suffered the loss on the mound for Flagler in game three. He allowed all four runs in his 6.2 innings on the hill.
USC Aiken will next welcome Newberry to Roberto Hernandez Stadium for a 6:30 p.m. non-conference game on Wednesday, April 4.
