Pacers Split Twinbill With Second-Ranked Francis Marion on Saturday
FLORENCE, S.C. - In a battle top 25 teams, the 21st-ranked USC
Aiken baseball team picked up a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader
split with No. 2 Francis Marion at Cormell Field on Saturday
afternoon. The Pacers claimed a 10-5 victory in the first game
before the second-ranked Patriots bounced back for a 12-3 win in
the nightcap.
The Pacers and Patriots will play the Peach Belt Conference series
rubber game at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 7 at Cormell Field.
USC Aiken is now 10-7 on the 2010 season. The defending Peach Belt
Conference champions are presently 4-1 in the PBC. The Pacers have
won seven of their last eight games with Saturday's second game
loss snapping USC Aiken's season-high seven-game winning
streak.
Francis Marion is 13-3 on the year overall, including 1-1 in the
PBC.
USC Aiken jumped out to a 8-0 lead through the first eight and
half innings in the first game before Francis Marion scored five in
the final two innings to make the game seem closer than the final
score indicated.
The Pacers finished with 17 hits in the game. Francis Marion was
able to secure nine hits in the first game loss.
The Pacers had five players finish the contest with multiple hit
games.
Pacer shortstop Stephen Carmon (Camden, S.C./Camden) guided the
Pacer attack at the dish in game one, going a perfect 4-for-4 with
a run and an RBI. Gary Asbill (Batesburg, S.C./Batesburg-Leesville)
and Nick Aranas (Lexington, S.C./Lexington) both ended their
efforts in game one with three hits.
Asbill was 3-for-5 with two runs scored an RBI, while Aranas was
3-for-4 with four RBIs and a run scored. Alex Franklin (North
Augusta, S.C./North Augusta) and Bill Rice (Sewell, N.J./Gloucester
County College) both had two hits in the game with Rice collecting
a run and an RBI. Franklin scored two runs from his leadoff
position. He also had an RBI.
Steven Owens (Sykesville, Md./Richmond) acquired his fourth
consecutive victory in his fourth straight outing by dealing 7.1
innings of six-strikeout baseball. Owens was charged with four
earned runs and he gave up just five hits over the course of his
time on the hill. Owens is now 4-1 on the 2010 season.
Josh Edgin (2-2) took the loss on the hill for the Patriots. The
Pacers commandeered nine hits off Edgin. He struck out just one and
allowed five earned runs.
Alex Lee was the offensive star for Francis Marion in the first
game, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
Francis Marion pitcher Erik Sommerville held the vaunted Pacer
offensive attack in check in the second game. Sommerville struck
out seven Pacers and allowed just three hits in 7.1 innings on the
mound.
In total, USC Aiken ended the second game with just four hits with
Franklin, Rice, Josh Miller (Chapin, S.C./Chapin) and Tripp Warrick
(North Augusta, S.C./North Augusta) each collecting a single hit in
the 12-3 loss.
Francis Marion had 12 total hits in the game with Logan Bland,
Jacob Wallace and Josh Biggers leading the way with two hits each.
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