Nationally-Ranked Pacers Dismount Knights for Second Time This Season
AIKEN, S.C. – A Stephen Carmon grand slam and a base-clearing triple by Josh Miller in the bottom of the fourth inning highlighted the evening as the 12th-ranked USC Aiken baseball team defeated the visiting Knights of St. Andrews Presbyterian College at Roberto Hernandez Stadium for the second time in two weeks. The Pacers conquered the game behind 22 hits to take the 20-4 victory from the Knights.
St. Andrews falls to 9-31-1 on the season while USC Aiken improves to 25-12 on the 2010 campaign.
USC Aiken went down one run early in the bottom of the first inning, but Bill Rice (Sewell, N.J./Gloucester County) did not let the Knights get comfortable. He ripped a ball to right field to score Alex Franklin (North Augusta, S.C./North Augusta) and tie the score at one-apiece.
Nick Aranas (Lexington, S.C./Lexington) followed suit a few moments later when he pushed Travis Howard (Bonneau, S.C./USC Salkehatchie) home from second with a rip to the wall in right-center field for a double to give the Pacers the lead at 2-1.
USC Aiken would not look back from there. J.J. Loker (Elkton, Va./Spotswood) scored Aranas a few pitches later and Miller (Chapin, S.C./Chapin), in turn, moved Loker home to extend the Pacers’ lead to 4-1 entering the second inning.
The Pacers extended their lead by one in the bottom of second inning when Jowan Gray (Aiken, S.C./South Aiken) found his way across the dish off a sacrifice fly by Carmon (Camden, S.C./Camden) to put the score to 5-1.
After St. Andrews pushed a run across the dish in the top of the third, the Pacer bats remained hot as Matt Key (New Ellenton, S.C./Silver Bluff) drove in both Loker and Miller in the bottom of the third inning with a double to left-center field to keep the Pacers’ scoring drive alive.
Gray scored Key from his post on second just two pitches later to put the Pacers up 8-2.
St. Andrews regained some footing in the top of the fourth inning when they pushed another two across to pull within four of USC Aiken, but it would be the last attacks the Knights’ bats had in them.
The bottom of the fourth inning saw 10 Pacers cross the plate off five hits and one St. Andrews error. The inning was highlighted by a grand slam over the right field wall by Carmon and a base clearing triple by Miller a few batters later to put the score to 18-4.
USC Aiken was able to keep the scoring drive alive and continued an impressive streak of getting at least one run through six innings. Howard scored off a chopper over the third baseman’s head by Carmon in the fifth inning and Loker strolled across the dish in the bottom of the sixth off a double by Carmon to put the Pacers up for good at 20-4.
A slew of Pacers led USC Aiken at the plate with six recording multiple hits and RBIs. Loker was perfect from the plate going 4-for-4 with two RBIs and five runs while Gray and Rice both went 3-for-4 with two RBIs each at the plate. Carmon led all Pacers with six RBIs en route to finishing 3-for-5 with two with Miller close behind with four RBIs.
DJ Turpin suffered the loss for St. Andrews going three innings on the mound. He falls to 1-4 for the year.
Jason Cochcroft (Gilbert, S.C./Gilbert) secured the win on the mound for the Pacers after fanning five batters and giving up just one earned run in five innings of work. He improves to 4-0 for the 2010 campaign.
USC Aiken will close out their week with a home Peach Belt Conference series against rival Augusta State on Saturday, Apr. 10 and Sunday, Apr. 11 at Roberto Hernandez Stadium. The series will begin with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. and will end with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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