AIKEN, S.C. – The No. 3 ranked USC Aiken Pacers swept the 2013 Outback Cup with a 12-2 win in game five of the cross-town series on Wednesday night at Roberto Hernandez Stadium.
ASU (10-34) got JD Sabo to third in the first inning, but Pacers (38-9) starting pitcher Jeffrey Campbell got three outs on three ground balls. USCA scored from Bill Gerstenslager's RBI-triple to left center and after an error scored Gerstenslager and a walk, Ryan Metzler homered to left for a 5-0 game. ASU starter Curtis Parker (0-4) gave up five runs on two hits and walked three in his one inning of work.
A towering shot over the left-field wall from ASU senior Justin Appel eliminated the shutout for the Jags in the second. Freshman lefty Phil Dukes was first on in relief for ASU, tossing 2.0 innings, surrendering three hits for two runs and striking out one. USCA's Ben Black (3-0) got the win in 2.0 innings, allowing one hit and striking out one.
Branden Millhouse singled off Dukes to lead off USCA's second and scored on a groundball. Dukes dealt a looking strikeout to escape the inning with one run allowed. In the third, Metzler's RBI-single plated a Pacer and Gerstenslager drove in another off ASU reliever Tyler Ross. USCA tacked on four more for a 12-2 final, despite the Jags scoring Nate Crown on Hunter Boose's fifth-inning sac fly. Jeff Rice, Kevin Dodson, Ross Miles, Boose and Appel were all 1-for-3, while USCA's Gerstenslager went 3-for-5 with three runs, two RBIs and Meltzer was 3-for-4 with five RBIs and a run.
ASU hosts No. 22 UNC Pembroke this weekend in a Peach Belt Conference series starting with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, April 27.