Pacers Continue Day of Upsets with Victory Over Top-Ranked GCSU
2010 PBC Baseball Championship Website
AIKEN, S.C. – Two two-run innings and strong pitching from the Pacer bullpen helped to lift the East fourth-seeded USC Aiken Pacers over the West top-seeded Georgia College and State Bobcats in the 2010 Peach Belt Conference Baseball Tournament Saturday night at Roberto Hernandez Stadium. The Pacers upset the 2010 regular season champions 5-4.
With the win, tournament host USC Aiken improves to 32-18 for the 2010 campaign and will look to continue their season on Sunday, May 9 in the semifinal round of the single elimination tournament.
Georgia College and State moves to 35-15 for the season.
Shawn Ward put the Bobcats up on the board first in the bottom of the first inning when he laced a home run over the right-center field wall, scoring Kyle Allen in the process.
USC Aiken answered in the top of the second inning with two runs of their own. J.J. Loker made his way across the plate to score for the Pacers when David Vitko singled down the left field line.
Gary Asbill scored a few batters later when Alex Franklin put a ball in play and caused the second baseman to mishandle the ball.
The Pacers garnered their first lead of the game in the top of the third inning when Nick Aranas made his way across the plate after Asbill put a ball in play.
GCSU tied the game back up at three-a-piece in the bottom of the inning. Sean Harrell crossed the plate when Shawn Ward singled to left-center field.
USC Aiken strode back out into the lead, recording two runs in the top of the sixth inning. Stephen Carmon pushed Vitko across the plate from second when he drove a double to deep right-center field.
Carmon found his way home moments later when Bill Rice sent his own double up the right side of the field to give the Pacers the 5-3 lead.
The Bobcats were able to pull back within one in the bottom of the seventh inning when Steve Muoio belted a home run over the right-center wall, posting the score at 5-4.
The game went down to the wire in the ninth inning, as the Bobcats tried to find the equalizer, but some strong pitching by relief pitcher Chad Benefield helped lift the Pacers to the narrow victory.
The Pacers were able to narrowly out-hit the Bobcats 8-7 with six Pacer batters recording at least one hit in the contest. Vitko led all Pacers at the plate going 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored. Aranas went 2-for-5 with one run scored himself.
Five Bobcats recorded at least one hit at the plate. Muoio came off the bench for Georgia College and State to go a perfect 2-for-2 with one RBI and one run scored. Ward was 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored.
Cory Dobbins recorded his first win on the hill for USC Aiken while Benefield recorded his eighth save for the 2010 campaign. Both fanned a team-high tying three batters. Dobbins is now 1-0 for the season.
Martin Dewald suffered the loss on the mound for the Bobcats striking out six batters in seven innings of work. He falls to 9-2 for the season.
USC Aiken will next face the Cougars of Columbus State tomorrow (Sunday, May 9) in the second semifinal game of the tournament. The first semifinal game between Flagler College and Georgia Southwestern is scheduled to commence at 11 a.m. with the second game schedule to begin at around 2:30 p.m. The winners of the two semifinal games will meet on the diamond at 6 p.m. to decide the tournament champion.
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