AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken softball team registered a pair of wins on opening day against Mars Hill Sunday afternoon. The Pacers won the first game 4-3 and posted a 7-6 eight-inning win in the nightcap.
The Pacers are now 2-0 on the season while MHU falls to 2-4.
In the opening game, Taylor Morgan retired the side in order in the first frame. Leah Boghosian got things going with a lead-off infield single in the bottom half of the stanza. She promptly stole second and scampered to third on a passed ball. Samantha Chubb belted a single to third base and hustled to second with the infield drawn in while Boghosian crossed home for the team's first run of the year.
A fielding error allowed Hannah Price to reach first and pushed Chubb to third. Andrea Daring brought her home with a single to left for a 2-0 edge.
Head coach Jerry Snyder's team pushed its margin to 3-0 in the second frame when Brielle Jungblut singled and swiftly stole second. She moved to third on a sacrifice bunt before coming home on Sarah Montei's infield hit.
Morgan continued to dominate the opposition and the Pacers added a run in the fourth. Sarah Timmerman singled through the left side of the infield and advanced to second on a wild pitch. A grounder allowed her to scamper to third and she was plated by Boghosian.
The visitors scratched a run in the fifth inning, making it 4-1. After a quick sixth frame, Morgan gave up a pair of runs on three hits in the seventh. With the tying run on base, Morgan forced a pair of groundouts, solidifying the 4-3 win.
In the game, Chubb, Jungblut, Montei and Sydney Murphy all had two hits. Boghosian, Daring and Timmerman all had hits while Boghosian, Chubb, Daring and Montei all drove in a run apiece.
Morgan had a complete-game effort. She struck out 10 batters while giving up three earned runs on eight hits.
In the nightcap, the Pacers fell behind 3-0 before Jungblut's fielder's choice allowed Kellie Shealy to cross home.
The Lions added a pair of runs in the fourth and USC Aiken faced a 5-1 deficit. However, the team quickly bounced back and knotted a pair of runs when Boghosian singled home Daring. Montei's sacrifice fly plated Murphy, making it a 5-3 contest.
USC Aiken was unable to get anything else going until its last at bat. With one down, Hannah Price singled and moved to second on a fielding error. Taylor Allen came in as a pinch runner and moved to third on Shealy's single. Daring lifted a deep fly ball that pushed Allen across home. Murphy knotted the game at 5-5 on a double to left field.
In the eighth, the visitors garnered an unearned run for a 6-5 edge, but Snyder's team would not give up.
Jungblut's speed allowed her to drop the ball a few feet from home plate and scamper to first safely. She moved to second when Boghosian sacrificed herself. Montei blasted a ball toward the shortstop and it trickled into left field. With confusion on the field, Jungblut tied the game and Montei raced to third base. Chubb then launched a pitch deep to left field, freezing Montei momentarily. When the ball landed inches from the top of the fence, Chubb was standing on second base with a game-winning hit.
For the game, Boghosian, Chubb, Jungblut and Murphy all had two hits apiece. Boghosian, Chubb, Daring, Montei and Murphy had one RBI apiece.
Price got the start and worked 1.1 innings. She gave up three runs on five hits. Morgan came in and tossed 5.2 innings of work. She struck out three while giving up two runs on six hits. Lyndie Dorgan threw the eighth inning. She struck out one, gave up two hits and allowed an unearned run. However, she picked up the victory.
The Pacers return to action Saturday, Feb. 13, when they host Claflin in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Live stats, video and audio will be available at PacerSports.com.
