COLUMBUS, Ga. – After dropping a game to Lander earlier in the day, the University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team earned a berth in the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship game with an 8-2 victory over Tusculum Sunday evening in an elimination game.
The Pacers are now 40-17 on the season and have now defeated the PBC regular and conference tournament champion once as well as the South Atlantic Conference co-tournament champion twice in the regional.
After being shutout earlier in the day for the first time this year, head coach Kenny Thomas' team got on the board with a run in the first. With one down, Mitchell Price was hit by a pitch. He hustled to second on a wild pitch before touring the next 180 feet after Chaz Pal singled up the middle.
The Price was right again in the third when Price led off with a double to the gap in left center field. With two down, Brian Parreira reached on a fielding error, allowing Price to score. Skylar Mercado followed Parreira with a single through the left side of the infield to make it 3-0, which was more than enough for hurler Nick Yobbi.
USC Aiken extended its margin to 5-0 with a pair of runs in the fourth. Charles Padilla led off the stanza with an infield single. He took second when Tyler Ammerman blasted a shot down the left field line. A wild pitch put both runners in scoring position. Jonathan Banks ripped a pitch to third base, which was mishandled. As the ball trickled into left field, Padilla and Ammerman crossed home plate.
Tusculum scored a pair of runs in the fifth, but Thomas' team would thwart the comeback attempt quickly.
Yobbi continued his dominance and his team regained the five-run edge in the seventh. Pal blasted a double down the left field line and jogged to third on a wild pitch. Zach Moon launched a single through the left side of the infield, plating Pal.
With one down, Mercado beat out an infield shot to put two runners on base. After an out, Padilla singled to load the bags. Ammerman, who had five RBI yesterday, earned an easy one by drawing a walk to score Moon.
Luke Westerberg, who subbed into the game, made the most of his at bat in the ninth by crushing a 2-2 pitch with two away high over the left field wall for an 8-2 margin.
Yobbi retired the side in order in the ninth, helping the team oust the Pioneers. He tossed a complete game, marking the second time in his career he has gone the distance. Yobbi struck out five while allowing two earned runs on eight hits. He threw 110 pitches – 73 of which were strikes.
At the plate, Padilla had a huge game. He was four-for-five with a run scored. Mercado and Pal had two hits apiece while Price trotted home a pair of times.
The Pacers take on Lander tomorrow in the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship starting at 12 p.m. USC Aiken has to defeat the Bearcats twice in order to advance to the NCAA World Series. Should Thomas' team win the first game, a second game will start at 3:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.
