Each week, USC Aiken will produce notes. This week, the University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team plays Augusta University at home in Roberto Hernandez Stadium for a three-game conference series. The games will be played Thursday, Friday and Saturday with the first pitch at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
Recapping Last Week
Head coach
Michael Holder's team finished last week 3-1 after sweeping Claflin University in all three games and earned their fifth series sweep of the season. The Pacers fell to the Augusta Jaguars on Wednesday night at the neutral-site non-conference game at SRP Park. USC Aiken is 23-11 for the season and 15-3 in conference play. They are currently in first place in the PBC by three games.
Back-To-Back Shutouts
Inclement weather stretched the Saturday doubleheader against Claflin, but it didn't depress the bats of the Pacers. They scored a combined 21 runs and blanked the Panthers in both games. The first game of the day ended in seven innings due to the run rule. Saturday's game ended in the seventh frame as well with USC Aiken earning the victory 13-1.
Hernandez Homers Three Times
Jose Hernandez had a monstrous weekend knocking three home runs over the fence. He put two over the outfield wall in game one, which also included five RBI. He also launched a third in game two that drove in three. The Pacers have hit 16 home runs for the year and Hernandez accounts for five of the round trippers.
Tripp Takes Another Trip
Nick Tripp circled the bases twice in game one against Claflin. He also added a double to his three-for-four hitting with three runs and three RBI. Tripp now has four home runs on the season.
Fletcher Earns His Sixth Win
Jacob Fletcher earned his sixth win of the season in the game two win over Claflin. He pitched seven innings giving up just two hits and fanning eight with zero walks.
Blankenship Tallies Extra-Base Knocks
For the weekend,
Kaden Blankenship hit a home run and three doubles on eight-for-12 hitting with six runs and five RBI.
Inside The Numbers
Since moving to Division II, the Pacers are 63-34 (64.9 percent) in Thursday games, 155-107 (59.2 percent) during Friday contests, and 356-239 (59.8 percent) in Saturday matchups. During that same time, the team is 17-4 on April 6, 12-4 on April 7 and 7-7 on April 8.
Against The Opponent
The Pacers are closing in on 100 wins against the Jaguars as they are currently 91-31 all-time. The two teams have already faced off this season in a non-conference neutral-site game at SRP Park in North Augusta, S.C. Augusta got the better of USC Aiken winning the game 5-1. The Pacers are 45-14 at home against the Jags.
