AIKEN, S.C. – The USCA baseball team plated five runs in the seventh inning to knock off Emory & Henry 10-7 Friday evening in the first game of the three-game series.
The Pacers are now 4-0 on the season.
Head coach
Keith Gorman's team took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Chancellor Jennings drew a walk and stole second. After moving to third on a fly ball, Jennings trotted home on
Blake Martin's triple.
Down 3-1 in the third,
Osmin Melendez singled through the right side of the infield. He hustled to third on
Evan Harding's double to center field. Jennings' single pushed across Melendez and an error allowed Harding to score. Martin doubled home Jennings for a 4-3 lead.
Donovan Glisson's base knock up the middle pushed across Martin for a two-run margin, 5-3.
Tied at 5-5 in the sixth, Harding drew a walk. Jennings' bloop single to right field put both runners in scoring position. However, USCA was unable to push across the go-ahead run after a groundout ended the inning.
Gorman's team got things going in the seventh. Martin led off the frame with a single through the left side. After a walk to
Salvatore Laimo and Glisson was hit by a pitch to load the bases,
Ryan Becker entered as a pinch hitter. He drew a walk, driving in Martin.
Maverick Grigsby's single to center field knocked in Laimo and Glisson for an 8-7 advantage. The Pacers continued the hot inning as
Cannon Frost scored on a sacrifice fly by Harding. A base hit by Jennings allowed Grigsby to race home for a 10-7 margin.
For the game, Jennings and Martin had three hits apiece. Both drove in two and scored twice. Martin had a double and a triple. Harding doubled, drove in a run and scored. Grigsby tallied two RBI. Glisson and Becker each had one RBI.
On the mound,
Joseph Rauscher got the start and went six-plus innings. He gave up seven runs, six of which were earned, and had six strikeouts.
Myles Chabi entered and worked the final three frames to pick up the win. He had three strikeouts.
The Pacers return to action Saturday when they host Emory & Henry at 2 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.
