FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3-29-03

College Baseball: No. 9 AASU 11-1, USC Aiken 3-5 (12)

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The No. 9-ranked Pirates split a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader with the visiting USC Aiken Pacers on Saturday afternoon at Pirate Field, winning the first game, 11-3, but dropping the second game, 5-1, in 12 innings.

In the first game, the Pirates (21-16, 6-10 PBC) and the Pacers (22-6, 7-4 PBC) traded single runs in the second inning as Tony Hankds drove home Bradley Key for USC Aiken’s first run, then Andrew Graham launched his sixth home run of the season for the Pirates’ first run. The Pacers added two runs in the top of the fifth to take a 3-1 lead, but it was short lived as the Pirates rallied for three runs in the bottom of the fifth, keyed by Chris Boaen’s two-RBI single, to go up by one run, 4-3. AASU then added six runs of insurance in the seventh inning as they batted around to put the game out of reach. Jon Dobyns picked up the win for AASU, hurling seven innings and giving up seven hits, three runs – two earned – and striking out eight to improve to 7-1 on the season. Wes McColl (5-4) was tagged with the loss for USC Aiken, giving up eight hits and seven runs – five earned – in six innings pitched.

In the second game, USC Aiken led off the game with back-to-back doubles by Clint Keown and Ashley Farr to take a quick 1-0 lead. The score would stay that way until the bottom of the sixth inning, when a two-out double by Stacy Bennett and an error by the Pacers’ Tony Hanks would score the Pirates’ only run of the game. The Pacers’ Mike Pomaville (5-4) would take over, holding the Pirates hitless through all five extra innings while USC Aiken finally broke through in the 12th inning with four runs on five hits against Pirate reliever Brett Hart (1-1).

Keown led all batters in the doubleheader by going 6-for-10 with three runs scored, although he was erased on the basepaths three times by the Pirates. Matt Stephens had three hits to lead the Pirates.

The two teams will conclude their Peach Belt Conference series with a single game at 1:00 p.m. at Pirate Field on Sunday.

- Pirates -