Box Score COLUMBUS, Ga. – The nationally 13th-ranked and Peach Belt Conference East Division third-seeded University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team fell 7-4 to national No. 30 and Peach Belt Conference East Division fourth-seeded Lander on Saturday evening in the PBC Tournament Semifinals at Golden Park.
USC Aiken with the loss ends the PBC Tournament with a record of 37-18 in 2012. The Pacers will now have to wait and see if they earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional.
The NCAA Selection Show will be at 10 p.m. on Sunday, May 13 on NCAA.com.
Lander opened Saturday's game by plating a run in the top of the first inning.
USC Aiken would match the run with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning on a solo home run from Josh Miller (Chapin, S.C./Chapin).
The Pacers would then take the lead for the first time in the game one inning later when Tyler Bourdo (Evans, Ga./Truett-McConnell College) singled in Bill Gerstenslager (Solon, Ohio/Mercyhurst).
Lander would go on to own a 3-2 lead entering the bottom of the seventh inning. The Pacers would then even the game at 3-3 on a Miller RBI in the bottom of the seventh.
In the top of the eighth the complexion of the game would change completely with Lander scoring four runs to pull away. AJ Nunziato collected two of the four Lander runs in the frame when he blasted a two-run home run.
The Pacers would mount a rally in the bottom of the ninth, but in the end would only be able to manage one run.
Lander out-hit USC Aiken, 11-9, in total in the game. The two teams combined for eight errors with the Pacers committing five of the eight errors.
Miller led USC Aiken in the game with five hits. He was 3-for-5 with three RBIs and one run scored.
Gerstenslager was the only other Pacer with multiple hits with two. He also scored a run.
Nunziato led three Bearcats with two hits. He was 2-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
One of four Pacer pitchers on the day, All-Peach Belt Conference selection Ryan Milewski (West Boylston, Mass./West Boylston) suffered his first loss of the year in the game. He is now 7-1 on the year.
Ross Davis claimed the win for Lander in relief. He pitched the final 3.2 innings to move to 4-3 on the year.
