Box Score AIKEN, S.C. – The nationally 10th-ranked University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team opened its 2013 season with a 10-6 victory over Lincoln Memorial on Friday at Roberto Hernandez Stadium.
The first five innings of the contest saw Lincoln Memorial (0-1) score six unearned runs to own a slight 6-5 advantage.
After a scoreless top of the sixth that included a Bryce Baur (Moncks Corner, S.C./Florence-Darlington Tech) laser to gun down a Lincoln Memorial runner at home, USC Aiken (1-0) plated four runs in the bottom half of the frame to take the lead for good.
The Pacers would add one more run in the bottom of the eighth in their eventual four-run win.
Four Pacers claimed multiple hits in the contest with Ben Donath (Aiken, S.C./Middle Georgia) leading the way with a 3-for-3 performance. Donath had a single, a double and a triple in the game to just miss out on the cycle. He also had two RBIs and scored two runs.
Both Baur and Ryan Metzler (Glen Burnie, Md./Siena) closed out the Pacer win with two hits each. Baur also scored a run, while Metzler acquired two RBIs and scored one run.
Four Pacers finished with two RBIs in the game in total with Bill Gerstenslager (Solon, Ohio/Mercyhurst) and Ty Barkell (Denver, Colo./Palmer Ridge HS) also obtaining two RBIs in addition to Donath and Metzler.
Five Pacer pitchers combined to allow Lincoln Memorial just four hits in the contest. The Railsplitters were held without a hit for the final five innings of the game.
The five Pacer pitchers combined to strike out 12 Railsplitters. The trio of Danny Wissmann (Arbutus, Md./Hammond HS), Sam Daniel (Evans, Ga./Greenbrier HS) and Taylor Grover (North Augusta, S.C./Midland Valley HS) struck out seven of the final nine Lincoln Memorial batters in the contest.
Tyler Stephan (Louisville, Ky./Trinity HS) picked up the win on the hill for the Pacers in relief of USC Aiken starter Ryan Milewski (West Boylston, Mass./West Boylston HS). Stephan (1-0) fanned two in his two innings on the hill.
Seth Woods (0-1) suffered the loss for Lincoln Memorial in relief of starter Brandon Cowan. Woods gave up four earned runs in one inning on the hill.
USC Aiken and Lincoln Memorial will next close out their season-opening three-game series with single 1 p.m. games on Saturday, Feb. 2 and Sunday, Feb. 3 at the 'Bert.
