AIKEN, S.C. – Chad Jacobsen and Chris Sheehan got USC Aiken (10-3, 5-0 PBC) off to a good start with first-inning homers in games one and two respectively, and Scott Wandless and Jon Paul pitched effectively as the Pacers earned a doubleheader sweep over visiting Lander (3-9, 0-5 PBC) in Peach Belt Conference baseball action Saturday. USCA won the first game 8-4 and held on for a 5-3 win in game two.
In the opener, the Pacers jumped out quickly in the bottom of the first. Darryl Pui led off the inning with a walk before Ben Tankersley reached on an error. Jacobsen then stepped to the plate and drilled a 1-1 pitch deep over the wall in left-center field for a 3-0 lead. Two more batters reached base before Lander starter Daniel Hinchberger recorded an out. With two down, senior Zach Cooper plated a runner with an RBI single and the Pacers led 4-0 after the first inning.
Lander cut into the lead in the top of the second. The Bearcats touched USCA starter for two runs on four hits with the big blow an RBI double from Brendan O'Connor.
After the Pacers stranded three runners in the second and third innings, the visitors scored another run in the top of the fourth to cut the lead to 4-3. Wandless (3-0) allowed a one-out single followed by a walk. A double steal put runners on second and third and O'Connor again drove in a run with a single.
Wandless minimized the damage to just the lone run in the fourth, and the right-handed hurler was unhittable from then on. He struck out the side in both the fifth and sixth innings, and after USCA added another run in the bottom of the sixth, Wandless got the Bearcats in order in the seventh.
The junior gave way to reliever Mark Yarbrough in the top of the eighth. In all, Wandless pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits while striking out a career-high 12 batters.
Yarbrough gave up his first earned run of the year in the top of the eighth on a two-out solo homer to Chris Munn that made the score 5-4.
The Pacers added three insurance runs with a two-out rally in the bottom of the eighth, and Yarbrough worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth to close out the game and earn a two-inning save.
Jacobsen finished the game 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBI while Cooper collected three hits in four at-bats. Matt Spivey and Ken Raborn also had two hits apiece for the Pacers.
The second game got off to a rough start for the Pacers, as Lander's leadoff hitter reached with a single, was bunted over to second, and scored on an error by Tankersley in left field.
The bottom of the first inning was very similar to the first game. Pui led off with a double, Tankersley followed with an infield single, and Jacobsen plated Pui with an RBI single. Sheehan then belted a 3-run home run over the wall in left center for a 4-1 USCA lead.
Neither team would score over the next three innings before Lander got their offense going in the top of the fifth against USCA starter Jon Paul (2-2). With two outs, the Bearcats got three consecutive hits off Paul. Jonathan Myers and Danny Morgan both had RBI doubles in the frame as the Bearcats made it 4-3 USCA.
The Pacers got an insurance run in the sixth when Pui singled up the middle to score Spivey.
After the first batter reached on an error against Paul in the seventh, USCA closer Gary Lee relieved him and set down the next three batters for his third save.
Sheehan, Pui, and Tankersley all had three hits for the Pacers while Sheehan collected three RBI with his fifth homer of the season.
USC Aiken and Lander will complete their three-game PBC series on Sunday. The first pitch is slated for 1:00 PM at Roberto Hernandez Stadium.
