Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 COLUMBUS, Ga. – The nationally 13th-ranked and Peach Belt Conference East Division third-seeded University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team advanced in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament with a 7-5 elimination game win over West second-seeded Montevallo on Friday morning at Golden Park.
The victory avenges a 6-5 10-inning PBC Tournament first game loss to Montevallo (25-28). More importantly, it moves USC Aiken (36-17) on to face tournament unbeaten Lander at 4 p.m. today.
Montevallo was held to just five hits on Friday morning. The Pacer duo of starter Derek Beasley and reliever Thomas McLeod combined to fan 11 Falcons.
After getting a rough start that included allowing Montevallo to score two runs off no hits in the top of the first inning, Beasley settled down to pitch seven innings.
Beasley (Harlem, Ga./Harlem) only allowed three hits and struck out 10. Beasley is now 9-4 on the year.
McLeod (Chapin, S.C./Chapin) collected his second save of the year by dealing the final two innings. He struck out one.
USC Aiken ended the win over Montevallo with 11 total hits.
Stephen Carmon (Camden, S.C./Camden) led the way for USC Aiken in the game with three hits. He was 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI.
Three Pacers obtained multiple hits in total with Bryce Baur and Nick Aranas both claiming two hits.
Baur (Moncks Corner, S.C./Florence-Darlington Tech) was 2-for-5 with one run scored and an RBI. Aranas (Lexington, S.C./Lexington) was 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBIs and one run scored.
Montevallo starter Devon Davis, who dropped to 2-4 on the year with his loss on the hill, held the Pacers in check in the game until the bottom of the fifth frame.
Two outs on the board, a costly Montevallo error gave the Pacers new life in the stanza. Baur took advantage by singling up the middle to score Adam Anderson (Boulder, Colo./Trinidad State JC), who had reached base via the error.
After a balk by Davis allowed Baur to move into scoring position, Carmon doubled to left centerfield to score Baur and even the game at 2-all.
Josh Miller (Chapin, S.C./Chapin) then singled in Carmon to put the Pacers ahead for the first time at 3-2.
USC Aiken would never look back, outscoring Montevallo, 4-3, the rest of the way to emerge with the two-run win.
