Box Score AUGUSTA, Ga. – The nationally sixth-ranked University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team was able to pick up an extra-inning victory over Augusta State, 4-1, on Wednesday night at Lake Olmstead Stadium.
The win gives USC Aiken (26-5) a one-game lead in the 2013 Outback Cup. The second game of the Outback Cup is scheduled for April 24 at Roberto Hernandez Stadium beginning at 6:30 p.m. USC Aiken is now 8-1 all-time in Outback Cup games.
The game on Wednesday started out as a pitchers' duel, as neither team was able to score until the bottom of the fifth inning when Augusta State (10-22) plated the first run of the game. Ross Miles doubled in Nate Crown to give the Jaguars a 1-0 lead.
The Pacers were able to push across the tying run in the top of the eighth inning. Bill Gerstenslager led off the inning with a double to left field, and then Ty Barkell was able to drive him in with a double of his own to right field. The game would remain tied at 1-1 after nine innings, forcing extra innings.
Barkell (Denver, Colo./Palmer Ridge HS) led off extra innings with a home run to left field to put USC Aiken ahead, 2-1. Ben Donath then doubled in Ryan Metzler, who walked and stole second base in the tenth inning. A Sean Miller (Crofton, Md./Archbishop Spalding HS) single through the left side would drive in Donath (Aiken, S.C./Middle Georgia) to end the scoring and give the Pacers a 4-1 lead.
Sam Daniel (Evans, Ga./Greenbrier HS) came in and pitched a perfect bottom half of the 10th inning to pick up his second save of the season. Taylor Grover (1-0) pitched the ninth inning for the Pacers to earn the victory. Grover (North Augusta, S.C./Midland Valley HS) struck out two in his inning of work. In all, the five Pacer pitchers combined to fan 13 Jaguars on the evening.
USC Aiken out-hit Augusta State 14-8 in the victory. Four Pacers were able to collect multiple hits on the game. Barkell led the offense, going 4-for-5 with two RBIs and one run. He has now hit safely in 22 straight games.
Josh Miller (Chapin, S.C./Chapin HS) picked up three hits, and Gerstenslager (Solon, Ohio/Mercyhurst) and Metzler (Glen Burnie, Md./Siena) each had two hits in the game. Gerstenslager is in the midst of an 18-game hitting streak.
Miles was the only Jaguar with multiple hits in the game.
Tyler Ross (1-1) got the loss for Augusta State, pitching two inning s and giving up three earned runs.
The Pacers will next be in action on the road this weekend, matching up for a three game series with Peach Belt opponent and 28th-ranked Montevallo. The series will begin on Friday, March 29 at 7 p.m. EST, and it will conclude with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 30. The twinbill is slated to get underway at 2 p.m. EST.
