Thursday,
April 15, 2004
USCS
OUTLASTS PC 9-8 IN EXTRA INNINGS
Spartanburg,
SC – Adam Tesh
scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning
to deliver USC Spartanburg a thrilling 9-8 victory over
Presbyterian College Thursday afternoon at Harley Park.
USCS improves to 21-22 on the year, while Presbyterian College
falls to 23-21. USCS travels to Jacksonville, FL, to take on
North Florida in a three-game Peach Belt Conference series
Saturday and Sunday. The Blue Hose will travel to play Belmont
Abbey College today at 4:00 pm and take on Lenoir-Rhyne
College in Hickory, N.C. over the weekend in a three-game
series.
The Rifles’ Carlos Aponte
stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of
the 12th inning and was hit by a pitch, scoring Tesh from
third with the game-winning run.
That play capped a thrilling game that saw both teams
score runs in the ninth inning to send the game into extra
frames.
USCS held a 2-1 lead after two innings, but the Blue Hose vaulted
in front, 4-2, with a three-spot in the fourth inning. PC’s
Lance
Howard had a two-RBI triple to do the damage in the
inning. USCS responded with a run in each of the next two
innings to tie the game at 4-4. Ross
Vigder and Eric
Davis had RBI hits for the Rifles.
Both teams added two runs in the seventh inning to take the
back-and-forth game to 6-6. PC’s
Donald Sheppard stole home in
the top of the ninth inning to give the Blue Hose a 7-6 lead.
However, USCS responded in the bottom of the inning
when Davis singled to score Aponte with the tying run.
Each
team scored a run again in the 10th inning, setting up the
decisive 12th inning for the Rifles.
Garrett
Holmes (1-2) tossed two
innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win for USCS. Kevin
White (7-4) pitched four innings and took the loss for
Presbyterian.
Davis
finished 3-for-6 with three RBIs for USCS, while
John Caddell, Chris Nowak, and Bret Hansen
each had two hits for the Rifles. Sheppard finished 3-for-6
with two runs scored to lead PC at the plate, while
Robert Rodebaugh
had two hits for the Blue Hose.