Box Score AIKEN, S.C. – The nationally 12th-ranked University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team closed out its 2012 regular season with a 5-3 victory over Winston-Salem State on Friday evening at Roberto Hernandez Stadium.
Winners of their last four, USC Aiken (34-16) will next participate in the 2012 Peach Belt Conference Baseball Tournament, which will be contested May 9-13 at Golden Park in Columbus, Ga.
As the third seed in the Peach Belt Conference East Division, USC Aiken will open the PBC Tournament at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 9 against the West second-seeded Montevallo Falcons (24-25). USC Aiken took two of three from Montevallo in their three-game league set Feb. 17-18.
Winston-Salem State (34-18) opened the game on Friday by plating the first two runs. The Rams scored single runs in the first and second innings.
USC Aiken took things over in the bottom of the third and fourth stanzas.
JJ Loker (Elkton, Va./Spotswood) emphatically kicked off the scoring on the evening for USC Aiken by belting a home run in the bottom of the third inning. USC Aiken would go on to add one more in the bottom half of the third to tie the game at 2-all.
In the home half of the fourth, Ty Barkell (Denver, Colo./Palmer Ridge) blasted a solo shot of his own to give the Pacers their first lead of the game at 3-2. The home run would be the first of three runs in the inning for USC Aiken.
Winston-Salem State would score only one more the rest of the way as USC Aiken held on for a two-run win.
Derek Beasley (Harlem, Ga./Harlem) dealt the first five innings of the game for USC Aiken to claim the win. He struck out five. Beasley is now 8-4 on the year.
Taylor Grover (North Augusta, S.C./Midland Valley) pitched a scoreless ninth to acquire his team-leading seventh save of the year.
Tyler Hickernell pitched the first three innings for the Rams. He allowed four runs to fall to 2-1 on the year.
Winston-Salem State out-hit USC Aiken, 13-10, in the contest.
Bill Gerstenslager (Solon, Ohio/Mercyhurst) and Loker were the only Pacers to secure multiple hits with each claiming two. Loker scored two runs and drove in another.
Travis Moore led Winston-Salem State with four hits.
