Pacers Maul Panthers in Record-Breaking Performance
AIKEN, S.C. – The 19th-ranked USC Aiken baseball team set a new school record for most runs in a single game Wednesday night as the Pacers defeated the Panthers of Claflin University 35-4 at Roberto Hernandez Stadium. A pair of eight-run innings spread throughout seven innings of at least one run highlighted the game as 13 Pacers recorded at least one en route to USC Aiken out-hitting the Panthers 29-11.
With the victory, USC Aiken improves to 30-15 overall on the 2010 campaign while Claflin falls to one over .500 at 20-19 overall.
USC Aiken scored first and often as they opened the game with a big eight-run inning off six hits and a Claflin error that saw 14 batters appear at the plate for the Pacers.
Stephen Carmon (Camden, S.C./Camden) led off for USC Aiken when he scored off a double off the right field wall by Bill Rice (Sewell, N.J./Gloucester County) Carmon reached base when he sent a double of his own to left-center. Rice scored along with Nick Aranas (Lexington, S.C./Lexington) off a single between the third baseman and shortstop by Travis Howard (Bonneau, S.C./USC Salkehatchie) just a few batters later.
David Vitko (Columbiana, Ohio/Youngstown State) drove both Howard and J.J. Loker (Elkton, Va./Spotswood) home with a single up the middle to put the Pacers up 5-0 with no outs.
Kyle Rice (Augusta, Ga./Cross Creek) continued the long inning for the Pacers when he hit a double to right-center to score Vitko and Matt Key (New Ellenton, S.C./Silver Bluff). He then scored the last run of the inning off a sacrifice fly by Josh Attaway (Lexington, S.C./Lexington) to leave USC Aiken leading 8-0.
The Pacers followed up their big first inning with another seven runs off three more hits to extend their lead to 15-0.
Vitko led off the new scoring drive for the Pacers as he crossed the plate when Kyle Rice put the ball in play.
Key and Kyle Rice both cruised across the dish for USC Aiken when Carmon and Bill Rice were walked with the bases loaded both times to put the score at 11-0.
Attaway followed next as he found his way home on a wild pitch.
Aranas drove Carmon and Bill Rice home a few pitches later when he bounced a ball off the right field wall for a triple. Aranas was the last Pacer to cross the plate for USC Aiken when he scored off a sacrifice fly by Loker setting the score at 15-0 heading into the third inning.
Cregg Amrstrong ruined USC Aiken’s starting pitcher Ryan Milewski’s no-hitter with a double in the top of the third inning.
The Pacers continued to rack up the numbers in the bottom of the third inning as four Pacers crossed the plate off five hits to put the score at 19-0.
Kyle Rice crossed the plate once again to score off a sacrifice fly by Carmon to lead off the inning.
Aranas ripped a double off the wall to score Josh Attaway before crossing the plate himself off a double down the right field foul line by Howard.
Loker followed up the pair of triples by ripping a triple to the warning track through the gap in left-center to score Howard and give the Pacers a 19 run lead heading into the fourth inning.
The Panthers were able to get two runs back in the top of the fourth inning when Christian Carlos and Donald Smith both crossed the dish to avoid the shutout and set the score at 19-2.
Kyle Rice led the scoring drive once more off a single sent to the shortstop by Carmon. Carmon cruised across the dish moments later when Bill rice jacked a two-run home run to put the score at 22-2.
Chauncey Davis crossed for another Claflin run in the top of the fifth inning to leave the score at 22-3 heading into the bottom of the inning.
The Pacers equaled their first inning total of eight runs off seven hits en route to smashing the previous school record of 28 runs in a single game. The previous mark was set last year against Pfeiffer at Roberto Hernandez Stadium on Apr. 22, 2009.
Howard led off the bottom of the inning for the Pacers with his second double of the game.
Several batters later, with the bases loaded, Key ripped a triple to score Tripp Warrick (North Augusta, S.C./North Augusta) who was pinch running for Howard, as well as Loker and Vitko. Key did not remain on base long as Kyle Rice sent a shot up the middle to bring Key home and put the score at 26-3.
Attaway was able to bring Kyle Rice across the plate before scoring himself off a single up the middle by Gary Asbill.
Carmon crossed the plate off a single by Loker moments before Asbill found his way across the plate thanks to a single by Vitko to set the score at 30-3.
Brett Godwin (North Augusta, S.C./Midland Valley) found his way into the game in the sixth inning as he scored when Jowan Gary (Aiken, S.C./South Aiken) sent a high fly ball to the right fielder who mishandled the ball.
Brett Bullard was the last Panther to straggle across the plate in the top of the seventh inning for Claflin.
The bottom of the seventh inning was the last of the scoring drive for USC Aiken as four Pacers crossed off three hits. Warrick led the final Pacer push across the plate when Ricky Costello (Port St. Lucie, Fla./Southeastern) singled.\
Key raced home from second moments later off a single up the middle by Attaway before Godwin drove him and Costello home with a double to the leftfield wall to give the Pacers their final score of 35-4.
Nine Pacers ended the game with multiple hits with six collecting three or more hits on the evening. Carmon was a perfect 3-for-3 on the evening with four runs and three RBIs while the slugging duo of Aranas and Howard went 3-for-4 with three RBIs each. Aranas added three runs of his own while Howard had two.
Kyle Rice went 4-for-5 at the plate with a team-high five runs scored and three RBIs while Bill Rice was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and a team-high five RBIs.
Milewski (West Boylston, Ma./West Boylston) recorded the win on the mound for the Pacers striking out five batters in five innings of work. He improves to a perfect 4-0 for the 2010 campaign.
Local product Brandon Ingram took the loss in the game for the Panthers as seven pitchers saw action in the game for Claflin. He falls to .500 on the season at 2-2.
The Pacers’ long week will continue on Friday, Apr. 23 with the Pacers hosting the first game of a home-and-home with the Flying Fleet of Erskine at Roberto Hernandez Stadium before traveling to Due West, S.C. on Saturday, Apr. 24. Friday’s game will begin at 7 p.m.
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