ORANGEBURG, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team split a pair of games at Claflin Friday afternoon, winning 8-3 before falling 6-5.
The Pacers are now 12-12 on the season.
In game one,
Tyler Littlefield led the way with three base hits while
Jeff Cyr drove in three runs while scoring three times. Littlefield scored twice as did
Leo Horacio.
Marcus Mastellone pounded out two hits and drove in two.
Daniel Wiggins worked eight innings to pick up the win while
Joel Haney registered a scoreless ninth. Wiggins struck out five and Haney had one strikeout.
Down 3-0 in the second inning, Horacio walked and managed to trot home when Cyr launched a two-run homer. The Pacers took the lead in the fourth when Cyr came home on a balk. Moments later, Littlefield scored on an error for a 4-3 edge.
In the seventh, Cyr ripped a double to right center field, scoring Horacio, who had reached on a single. Mastellone belted a double to the gap in left center field, allowing Cyr and Littlefield to cross home plate.
Nick Tripp's double in the eighth scored
Jackson Hannon, who had reached on a one-out single.
In game two, Tripp singled to lead off the second inning. After moving to second on a groundout and taking third on a wild pitch, he scored on Littlefield's base hit.
James Eckert and
Sean McQuillan walked to lead off the second before moving up a base on a hit from Morgan Hide. Hannon singled in Eckert and McQuillan. Tripp's sacrifice fly scored Hyde for a 4-0 advantage.
Calflin plated two runs in the third, a run in the fourth, two in the fifth and one in the sixth for a 6-4 lead.
It stayed that way until the ninth inning. With one down, Hannon registered a solo homer, bringing the visitors within one. However, USC Aiken was unable to tie the contest.
For the game, Hannon led the way with three RBI. Hannon, Hyde and Tripp had two hits apiece.
Lindsey Robinson Jr. struck out six but took the loss.
Blake Seigler had four strikeouts.
The Pacers return to action tomorrow at Claflin for the final game of the series starting at 2 p.m.