Flessate Claims Record Setting 53rd Career Win as Seventh-Seeded Pacers End Eighth-Seeded Bearcats’ Tournament Trip
FLORENCE, S.C. – Senior Toni Flessate earned her 14th win of the season and her 53rd career win to claim sole ownership of most wins in a career by a Pacer pitcher as the seventh-seeded USC Aiken softball team opened Saturday’s rounds at the 2010 Peach Belt Conference Softball Tournament by defeating the eighth-seeded Lander Bearcats at Freedom Florence Recreational Complex. The Pacers were able to squeeze out the 2-1 victory over the Bearcats to keep their tournament hopes alive heading into Saturday afternoon’s games.
Lander ends their season at 23-24 overall after the loss to the Pacers.
USC Aiken moves to an even 22-22 overall with the Saturday morning win. The Pacers will continue play in the tournament Saturday afternoon by taking on the fourth-seeded Armstrong Atlantic State Pirates who ended second-seeded Augusta State’s tournament with a 4-1 victory over the Jaguars Saturday morning.
Lander took the early lead in the top of the second inning when they scored their lone run of the game, but they would not be able to hold on to it for long.
USC Aiken sprinted back out in the bottom of the second inning scoring two runs. Sophomore Whitney Clary garnered the first run for the Pacers when senior Kellie Hair singled up the middle. Clary had reached base with a well-placed bunt that allowed her to just beat the throw to first.
Freshman leadoff-batter Brandy Bossle drove in the game-winning run when she followed Hair’s example with a single of her own up the middle. The hit scored the speedy Hair from second to put the Pacers up for good.
Clary (Newberry, S.C./Newberry HS) led the Pacers at the plate going 2-for-3 with one run scored. Hair (Aiken, S.C./Aiken Tech) and Bossle (North East, Md./Rising Sun) were just behind her with both going 1-for-3 in the game and each earning an RBI. Hair secured the other run for USC Aiken.
Hayley Leisnner took the loss for Lander. She is now 17-6 for the season.
A first team All-Conference selection, Flessate (Goose Creek, S.C./Stratford) earned the pivotal win for the Pacers in the circle striking out a season-high nine batters in seven innings of work. She moves to 14-10 in the 2010 campaign. More importantly, the win was Flessate’s 53rd career win, which moved her into sole position of most career wins by a Pacer hurler, one more than former record holder Samantha Blair.
The win was also Flessate’s 28th appearance of the season giving her 102 total career appearances to put her just two back from Blair. Her 617.1 innings pitched so far in her career leads also moves her into first all-time in innings pitched. Flessate has worked herself up into the top-five in 10 different pitching categories in her four years at USC Aiken.
USC Aiken will next take on the Pirates of fourth-seeded Armstrong Atlantic State at 1:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The winner between the Pacers and Pirates will go on to face the loser of the nationally first-ranked and top-seeded North Georgia–third-seeded Francis Marion game in the semifinal round of the tournament with the winner of that game taking on the winner of the North Georgia–Francis Marion game in the championship game on Sunday, Apr. 18.
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