Aiken, S.C. – The Brevard College baseball team competed against their second nationally ranked opponent on Tuesday night, as the Tornados fell to the #19 ranked USC-Aiken Pacers in a slugfest, 16-9, in game one of a two game series at Roberto Hernandez Stadium in Aiken, S.C. 

 

The Tornados started off the game with a seven run first inning. BC lead-off hitter started off the game with a single to right field, which was followed by a Mitch Hefner single to center field, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Senior centerfielder Luke Lovelace then singled through the left side driving in Warner from second and then advancing to second on the throw home putting runners on second and third with no outs in the inning. Hefner then scored on a wild pitch, putting the Tornados up 2-0 early in the first.

 

After the next two Brevard hitters made outs, Lovelace remained at third with two outs and Spencer Linn up at the plate. USC-Aiken starter Ian Evans then struck out Linn, however, the third strike got away from the Pacer catcher allowing Linn to reach first and Lovelace to score from third, pushing the Tornados lead up to 3-0.

 

First-baseman Matt Rose then drew a walk, brining Adam Arrowood to the plate, who hit a two out double to left center field, plating Linn from second and moving Rose from first to third.

 

Left-fielder Zac Williams, the ninth BC hitter in the inning, then singled to left to drive in Rose putting the Tornados up 5-0 and forcing the Pacers to go to the bullpen early in the contest.

 

The Tornados’ Warner and Hefner, both hitting for the second time in the inning, put back-to-back RBI singles together to push the Brevard lead to 7-0.

 

However, the Pacers pushed across seven runs of their own over the first three innings, scoring one run in both the bottom of the first and second, and five runs in the bottom of the third.

 

With the Tornados scoring a run in the top of the third by way of a Hefner RBI double down the right field line plating Williams and taking an 8-2 lead, the Pacers battled back to score five runs of their own, all unearned, to cut the lead to one at 8-7.

 

With two outs in the inning, the Pacers loaded the bases by way of two Tornado fielding errors and a base-on-balls by BC starter Brandon Sleezer. Left-fielder Ryne Salmon then singled up the middle, plating two and putting runners on second and third with two outs. 

 

After a BC pitching change, USC-Aiken short-stop Chris Grandinetti sent the ball soaring over the left field wall, clearing the bases with a three-run homerun to cut the Tornado lead to 8-7.

 

Brevard answered in the top of the fourth, as the first three Tornado hitters put together three straight singles to load the bases with no outs. However, Aiken’s pitcher Jason Cochcroft got the next two BC hitters by way of a pop out and strikeout before hitting lead-off hitter Warner with a pitch to score Josh Miller from third and give BC a 9-7 lead.

 

However, after the Pacers scored a run in the fifth inning on a Ken Raborn homerun, the home team used a three run sixth to take their first lead of the game at 11-9. 

 

Again the Tornados helped the Pacers, walking two batters and having them both move into scoring position on a wild pitch with only one out in the inning. First-baseman Chad Jacobsen then reached on a Tornado fielding error to not only keep the inning alive, but score Chad McMorris from third and tie the game up at 9-9. Then Raborn doubled down the left-field line to score two runs and put the Pacers ahead for the first time, 11-9.

 

Brevard threatened in the bottom of the seventh, putting two men on before an inning ending double-play.

 

USC-Aiken scored five insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth to put the game away at 16-9.

 

For Aiken, Jason Crochcroft (1-0) got the win in relief, going 4.0 innings giving up no runs on two hits and striking out five BC batters.

 

The loss goes to BC’s Jacob White (0-2), as White gave up five runs, three earned, on five hits in 3.1 innings of action.

 

At the plate, the Tornados had 13 hits, led by Brice Warner who was 3-3 with a walk, two RBIs, one run scored and a stolen base. Short-stop Mitch Hefner went 4-5 with a double, two RBIs and one run scored on the night.

 

USC-Aiken’s Ken Raborn was 4-5 with a homerun, a double, four RBIs and three runs scored. Left-fielder Ryne Salmon went 4-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored, while short-stop Chris Grandinetti was 2-4 with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored.

 

The Tornados (4-5) will return to action tomorrow afternoon, when they will play game two of the two game series with No. 19 USC-Aiken in Aiken, S.C. The first pitch is set for 4 p.m. at Roberto Hernandez Stadium.

 

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