Box Score MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – The No. 15 University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team lost a hard fought contest to No. 6/9 North Georgia by a 6-2 score Friday evening.
The Pacers are now 40-14 on the season.
The Nighthawks took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third, but head coach
Kenny Thomas' team quickly knotted the contest.
In the bottom of the stanza,
Jose Bonilla pushed a one-out bunt towards first base. With three Nighthawks converging on the ball, Bonilla easily crossed first base with a hit.
Luke Westerberg singled through the right side, moving Bonilla to second. With two down,
Nile Goings ripped a single through the left side, tying the game at 1-1.
Two innings later, USC Aiken took a 2-1 lead. After an out, Bonilla hit a bounding ball that took an unusual hop over the shortstop's glove. Hustling, Bonilla raced into second base with a double. Looking at a 3-1 count, Westerberg roped a double down the left field line for what was scored a ground-rule double. With the play still going on, Westerberg raced home, but after the umpires discussed the play, he was sent back to second base. USC Aiken was unable to score another run in the inning.
North Georgia plated three runs in the seventh for a 4-2 advantage. The Nighthawks scored two more in the eighth for the 6-2 score.
For the game, Bonilla and Westerberg paced USC Aiken with two hits apiece. Bonilla crossed home twice.
The Pacers return to action tomorrow against Catawba at 1:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com. The contest is an elimination game.
