AIKEN, S.C. – After picking up a win last week at No. 7 Newberry, the University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team defeated the now-No. 3 Wolves by a score of 12-3 Tuesday evening.
The Pacers are now 22-17 on the season while the Wolves fall to 36-11.
Head coach
Kenny Thomas' team jumped on top with a run in the first.
Luke Leisenring singled and moved to second on a passed ball. After moving to third on a fly ball, he raced home on a wild pitch for the one-run advantage.
Tied at 1-1, USC Aiken took the lead for good in the third stanza.
Jackson Hannon's round-tripper off an 0-1 pitch with one down made it 2-1.
In the fourth,
Sean McQuillan's base knock extended the margin to 3-1 as
Philip Watcher trotted home. Earlier in the inning, Watcher walked and moved to second on a fielder's choice before scoring.
The Pacers broke the game open with three runs in the fifth. Leisenring was hit by a pitch and hustled to second on the following pitch as
Joey Smithers reached on a bunt single. A wild pitch pushed both runners up a base. Another wild pitch allowed Leisenring to score for a 4-1 advantage. A single from
Alex Mills plated Smithers. Two batters later, Chander Rogers lifted a sacrifice fly that scored
Conner Durden for a 6-2 lead.
In the seventh, Rogers doubled home Durden and Watcher before
Scott Huntley's RBI single plated Rogers. Two batters later, Huntley hustled home on a wild pitch for a 10-2 advantage.
McQuillan singled in a run in the eighth before
Brady O'Neil drew a bases loaded walk for a 12-3 lead.
For the game,
Garvin Alston Jr. worked four frames, giving up just one run on five hits.
Daniel Wiggins tossed two scoreless frames. He gave up four hits while striking out one.
Lindsey Robinson Jr., and
Austin Sandifer combined to pitch the seventh inning.
Jon Yarbrough came in for the eighth and promptly struck out a pair of batters.
Cameron Nolet finished off the visitors by tossing the ninth inning and registering two strikeouts.
At the plate, Leisenring and McQuillan had three hits apiece. McQuillan and Rogers each drove in a pair of runs. Leisenring and Rogers crossed home plate twice apiece while Durden scored three times.
The Pacers return to action Thursday when they travel to Lander for the first game of a three-game series. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.