Box Score AIKEN, S.C. – The nationally 14th-ranked University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team pulled away from visiting Paine over the course of the latter innings in an 8-6 win over the Lions on Tuesday evening at Roberto Hernandez Stadium.
USC Aiken (29-14) took both of the games between the two teams this season. The Pacers also bested Paine, 8-4, on Wednesday, Feb. 29.
USC Aiken finished its two-run win over Paine on Tuesday out-hitting the Lions, 18-7.
Six Pacers finished with multiple hits with Nick Aranas (Lexington, S.C./Lexington) leading the way with an impressive 4-for-5 performance that included two RBIs and two runs scored.
Aranas stole home in the bottom of the third inning to set the school record for most runs scored. His two runs scored overall in the contest leave him with 201 runs scored in his Pacer career.
Aranas now is USC Aiken's all-time leader in runs scored, at-bats, hits, doubles, triples and sacrifice flies.
Both Will Tankersley (Thomson, Ga./Thomson) and Stephen Bellantoni (Oviedo, Fla./Lake Sumter CC) concluded the Paine win with three hits each. Bellantoni scored three times in the contest, while Tankersley drove in two and scored once.
William Gorman led Paine (20-19) in its loss, going 3-for-4 with four runs scored and an RBI.
Christian Stutts (Aiken, S.C./South Aiken) pitched 2.2 innings in relief to acquire the win on the hill. Stutts, who fanned four, is now 1-0 on the season.
Taylor Grover (North Augusta, S.C./Midland Valley) dealt the final 1.1 innings to obtain his team-leading fifth save of the 2012 season. He fanned three of the four batters that he faced.
Patrick Lillis suffered the loss for Paine. Lillis dealt the first 5.2 innings, allowing seven earned runs. He is now 3-3 on the season.
Paine held a 4-3 lead in the contest heading into the bottom of the sixth inning. USC Aiken scored five of the next seven runs in the game to pull away for its victory. The Pacers put a four-spot on the board in the bottom half of the sixth.
The four-spot helped lead USC Aiken to its first lead of the game. The lead from there would not be relinquished.
USC Aiken will next welcome Augusta State to the 'Bert for the final game of the 2012 Outback Cup. The Pacers and Jaguars will conclude the annual non-conference two-game series with a 6:30 p.m. game on Wednesday, April 18.
