Pacers Sweep Cougars in Peach Belt Doubleheader
COLUMBUS, Ga. – The USC Aiken softball team swept their Peach Belt Conference doubleheader with Columbus State University Saturday afternoon at CSU Softball Field. The Pacers took the first game 6-4 and followed that up by securing the 7-4 win in the second game for their first sweep since sweeping their PBC opener with Lander on Feb. 25 in Greenville, S.C.
Columbus State falls to 16-21-1 overall for the season and are now 2-8 in the PBC.
USC Aiken improves to 16-17 overall and are now an even .500 at 8-8 in PBC action.
Despite being out-hit by Columbus State 7-8, USCA won the first game 6-4 with help from three Columbus State allowing the Pacers to stride to victory.
Columbus State garnered an early 2-0 lead off single runs in the second and third innings before relinquishing to the Pacers in the top of the fourth inning.
The Pacers surpassed the Cougars in the top of the fourth inning sending six Pacers across the plate off three hits and two Columbus State errors. Lindsey Jones (North Augusta, S.C./North Augusta) and Blair Warren (Darlington, S.C./Florence-Darlington Tech) started the scoring drive by tying the game at 2-2 when Nikki Sidaway laced a ball to left-center field for a double.
Sidaway (Wiley Ford, W.Va./Potomac State) scored a few moments later off a throwing error by the pitcher to put the Pacers ahead 3-2.
Whitney Clary (Newberry, S.C./Newberry HS) put the Pacers up 4-2 when she crossed the dish off the bat of Brandy Bossle (North East, Md./Rising Sun).
Lauren Locklear (Charleston, S.C./Wando) capped the Pacer surge with her fifth home run of the season to also scored Bossle to give the Pacers the 6-2 lead.
The Cougars tried to battle back in the bottom of the fifth inning to bring the game back to within two, but the Pacers were able to hold on for the win in the closing moments of the game.
Kristi Bullard suffered the loss for Columbus State pitching four innings and giving up all six runs. She falls to 6-9 on the season.
Kathleen Nichols (Orange City, Fla./Daytona Beach) secured the win in the circle for the Pacers to improve to 2-7 on the 2010 campaign. Toni Flessate (Goose Creek, S.C./Stratford) earned her first save of the season.
The Pacers were able to secure the sweep by winning the second game 7-4. USC Aiken out-hit Columbus State 12-10 while the Cougars committed two errors.
Locklear put the Pacers up on the board first in the second game when she hit a single to left field to score Clary from second base.
Locklear found her way across the plate a few moments later when Flessate sent a ball to leftfield and advanced to second to put the Pacers up 2-0.
After freshman Haley Justice (North Augusta, S.C./Midland Valley) came in to pinch run for Flessate, Jones batted her in with another single to leftfield to extend USC Aiken’s lead to three.
After the Cougars made an attempt at a comeback in the bottom of the sixth inning driving in two runs, Flessate sent her fifth home run of the season out of the park to extend the Pacer’s lead back to two.
A few batters later Warren was able to extend the lead with a her first home run of the season when she sent a three-run jack over the leftfield fence to put the Pacers up 7-2.
The Cougars tried to avoid the sweep with two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, but could not overcome the deficit thanks to healthy pitching and fielding by the Pacers.
Britni McCall suffered the loss for Columbus State giving up three runs. She falls to 6-7 on the season.
Flessate is in line for the win in the circle for the Pacers having fanned five batters. She moves to one over .500 with a record of 8-7 for the 2010 campaign.
The Pacers’ will now return home to J.H. Satcher Field to host the Pirates of Armstrong Atlantic State for a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader on Wednesday, Mar. 31. The first game is slated to start at 2 p.m. with the second game to follow immediately after at around 4 p.m.
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