Pacers Win Marathon Game Over Pirates

usca_4May 12 & 13, 2007
Spartanburg, S.C. - Josh Eachues’ RBI single in the bottom of the 12th inning brought an end to a wild two-day baseball affair as the USC Aiken Pacers beat the Armstrong Atlantic State Pirates 11-10 on Sunday in the 2007 PBC Baseball tournament in Spartanburg.  With the win, the Pacers advance into the Championship game later on Sunday afternoon.  The Pacers trailed on three separate occasions during the game by as many as four runs.

AASU got the scoring started in the top of the first on an RBI single from Kenny Cail.  USCA answered in the bottom of the inning as Ken Raborn tripled and later scored on Chad Jacobsen’s sacrifice fly.  The Pacers took their first lead of the game in the second on Matt Spivey’s RBI single.

After tying the game with a run in the third, the Pirates exploded for four runs in the fourth, all with two outs.  With runners on second and third, Josh Wilson singled to bring one home.  After a walk loaded the bases, Sean Hotzak lined a single into left field where it went under the glove of Pacer outfielder Ben Tankersley and ended up a third base with all three runs scoring.

USC Aiken scored a run in the bottom of the fourth to trim the lead to 6-3 but Armstrong Atlantic answered with two more in the top of the fifth.  Wilson again had the big hit with a two-run single to score Josh Dallas and Marc Noble.

Down 8-3, the Pacers scored a run on a Chris Sheehan RBI single and loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the fifth inning when the game was halted due to heavy fog which had begun to fill Harley Park.  Tournament officials suspended play until Sunday morning, but the layoff did not affect the Pacers, who scored four more runs once the game resumed to tie it at eight.  Tankersley brought in the first with a sacrifice fly, Zach Cooper had the second with an RBI single and Marc Joehnk drove home the third on a fielder’s choice.

The score remained tied until the top of the seventh as Wilson launched a two-run home run over the fence in left field.  Wilson, who had struggled in the tournament heading into the game, finished the day 4-for-7 with six RBIs.

However, the Pacers responded once again in the bottom of the eighth with three straight two-out singles.  Josh Eauches had the third of those hits, a two-run liner to right that scored Sheehan and Jacobsen.

After holding AASU scoreless in the top of the ninth, the Pacers had runners at first and second when Darryl Pui lofted a short fly into left.  AASU’s Brad Bohannon charged the ball, but could not make the catch.  However, he did recover the ball and throw to third to get the runner in a force-out.  Nate Herder then struck out Raborn to end the threat and send the game into extra innings.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the 12th.  Pui singled to shortstop and was moved to second on a sac bunt from Raborn.  The two were then advanced thanks to the third balk called against Pirate pitchers.  Sheehan was then intentionally walked to bring up Eauches.

Eight of the nine Aiken starters finished the game with at least one RBI.  Josh Eachues went 4-for-6 with two runs scored and three RBIs.  Chris Sheehan also had four hits for the Pacer with two runs and an RBI.

Gary Lee (3-3) picks up the win for USCA after entering the game in the seventh and going five innings.  Lee allowed only two hits and no runs with one strikeout.  Nate Herder (3-4) took the loss for the Pirates.

Game Box